Man released after 32 years in prison

[tawadi]

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A Chicago man who spent more than 30 years behind bars in the rape and killing of a 3-year-old girl was expected to be freed late Friday after a prosecutor declined to retry him.

An Illinois appeals court in March ordered a new trial for 50-year-old Andre Davis. Tests found that DNA taken from the scene of the 1980 killing of Briana Stickle in Rantoul wasn't his. Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz agreed Friday to drop the case against him.

State Department of Corrections spokeswoman Kayce Ataiyero said Davis was expected to be released late Friday from the super-maximum security prison in Tamms. His parents were expected to meet him.

http://www.thonline.com/news/iowa-illinois-wisconsin/article_1d04d049-6cc9-5814-8e8d-479b26ea7695.html

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. Had he been executed for this crime, the evidence would have been destroyed.

That is what the capital punishment folks rely on when they say that no innocents have been executed.

For the last 30 years, the actual perpetrator has been free.

I imagine 30 years in supermax as a baby raper was a real positive experience.

[tawadi]

2. What many over look, too, is that the real perp got away with it

The article talks about why they won't retry Andre Davis. Wtf? Why don't they re-open the case and find the DNA match?

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. The prosecutors share blame for every subsequent victim of the actual perpetrator. n/t