Posted on 01/12/2006 2:59:09 PM PST by Former Military Chick
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new DNA test confirmed the guilt of a Virginia man who proclaimed his innocence up until his 1992 execution for rape and murder, the Virginia governor's office said on Thursday.
"We have sought the truth using DNA technology not available at the time the (Virginia) Commonwealth carried out the ultimate criminal sanction" against Roger Keith Coleman, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner said in a statement.
"The confirmation that Roger Coleman's DNA was present reaffirms the verdict and the sanction."
Coleman was executed in May 1992 for the 1981 rape and murder of his 19-year-old sister-in-law, Wanda McCoy. He repeatedly proclaimed his innocence.
The governor's office said the new test by the Center of Forensic Sciences in Toronto concluded Coleman could not be excluded, on the basis of biological evidence, as the source of incriminating DNA found on the victim.
"The probability that a randomly selected individual unrelated to Roger Coleman would coincidentally share the observed DNA profile is estimated to be 1 in 19 million," the center said in its report.
The original DNA testing in the case, done in 1990, indicated that evidence taken from the victim would match DNA shared by Coleman and 2 percent of the Caucasian and African-American populations.
New Jersey-based Centurion Ministries, which advocates for those it believes are wrongly convicted and pushed for the updated DNA test in Coleman's case, accepted the lab's findings.
"We who seek the truth must live or die by the sword of DNA," James McCloskey, Centurion's executive director, said in a statement.
"I had always believed in Roger's complete innocence. In my view, he had no motive, means or opportunity to do this crime. I now know that I was wrong. Indeed, this is a bitter pill to swallow."
Warner, a Democrat who supports the death penalty, leaves office on Saturday.
Last month, Warner pardoned two men who served prison terms for sexual assault after they were exonerated by DNA testing techniques unavailable when they went to trial. The men had already completed their sentences, serving terms of nearly 20 years and 11 years, respectively.
He is guilty, so his family should pay for the testing.
Then may he rot in hell, remember how many were convinced of his innocence.
Just saw this on Fox...
PING
I was happy to allow this to play out. Of course what this does for Warner is another story.
At least now, folks can move on. Nice to know a criminal is always a criminal even in death.
btt
Yes, I agree he did have folks snowed. That talked of his innocence I suppose if you are going to defend these folks I guess you have to believe them, even in death but frankly, they must be feeling mighty silly right now.
DNA, a double edge sword for sure.
I would hope this get's more coverage. That they system can work, that we did execute the right guy.
Otherwise, there will be folks who will continue to spout his innocence.
interesting case...
I am not sure why his family should pay for the tests?
I may have missed something here...
So, I guess this script will be scrapped from the new "In Justice" program on TV.
It is my belief if the convicted pushes this issue, either to avoid his execution or like this to prove their innocence that if in fact they lied to have this done that it is his/her responsibility to pay for the testing.
Why should the tax payer's have to continue paying for this thugs bad behavior. If innocent that is another story.
Again, it is my philosophy and no one else's.
Thanks for the comment.
Now that is funny, but, all the programs do some type of show about DNA -- this just does not have the Hollywood ending they would have hoped. Oh, never mind, Hollywood does not care, Coleman is white.
BTW, I was not opposed to the testing. Let's see if they do a show where they are WRONG. hmmm ... doubt that too
Great news!! I'm 100% in favor of justice for murder victims. Justice means the murderer pays with his life after a fair trial
Can we execute him again?
Death penalty proponents welcomed the results. "Stop the presses - it turns out that rapists and killers are also liars," Michael Paranzino, president of a group called Throw Away the Key, said in a statement.
This guy was as innocent as...as...TOOKIE.
It's a fallacy, and a very dangerous one, to say, as James McCloskey said here, ""We who seek the truth must live or die by the sword of DNA".
In truth (and in logic), the sword only cuts one way -- as it did in this case, i.e., that the presence of the convict's DNA proves that he was present and involved.
However, it's a damnable lie to say that the sword "exonerates" when it cuts the other way, i.e., that the absence of a positive test is proof of innocence or exoneration.
A negative fact does not support a positive conclusion. In reality, there are many reasons why a rapist may not "leave his seed" -- his ual disfunctionality is self-evident, for example, and that may manifest itself in many ways. (I don't think I need to get graphic here). His motive to kill may well and logically wrapped up in all of that as well. And it may well simply be that the evidence sample was collected improperly.
The "innocence project" cases far too often take one piece of negative evidence and hold that up as exoneration.
Ann Coulter's articles on the Central Park "Wilding" case so-called exoneration does a good job of revealing what a fraud the innocence project is.
If the 'innocence project' succeeds, there will be innocence left for any of us. Ask that little girl in Vermont about innocence now that her rapist did his 60 days and is free to find his next victim.
"...his family should pay for the testing."
And the electricity.
But, but the convict said he was innocent so it must be true!
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