DNA Testing Frees Dallas Man After Spending 27 Years in Prison

After spending 27 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, a Dallas man was free on Tuesday. James Lee Woodard was cleared by DNA testing for the 1980 murder of a 21-year old Dallas woman found sexually assaulted and strangled.

Woodard, who had been in jail longer than any other wrongfully convicted U.S. inmate, was greeted by throngs of supporters when he stepped outside the courtroom.

According to Natalie Roetzel, the executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas, Woodard had been convicted and sentenced to life in prison after two eyewitnesses testified against him. One of the two has since recanted.

The 55-year old Woodard told reporters, “I thank God for the existence of the innocence project. Without that, I wouldn’t be here today. I would be wasting away in prison.”

For more People News, please go to

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=14&wcat=16