Jerry Lee Evans, a wrongly convicted man released Wednesday after nearly 23 years in prison, said he was certain he would be acquitted during his 1987 trial for aggravated sexual assault with a deadly weapon.
“My whole defense was that when the young lady saw me in court, she’d say she made a mistake,” said Evans, the latest innocent man cleared by DNA testing in Dallas County. “But that’s the way life is. Life ain’t fair.”
DNA test results that came back earlier this month excluded Evans as the rapist, leading to his release. The tests did not match any profiles and authorities have no suspects, prosecutors said.
Evans had originally applied for post-conviction DNA testing in 2002, but his petition was ignored by the courts, said his public defender, Michelle Moore.
Judge Carter Thompson apologized to Evans, who accepted his release with a chuckle and a vow to go to McDonald’s for a hamburger.
“The court hopes that your next 23 years are happier than your last 23 years,” Thompson said.
Evans said his father died while he was in prison, and he has not seen his mother in more than two decades. He said he plans to live with a cousin until September, when he becomes eligible for compensation from the state for his wrongful imprisonment.
“It’s good to be free,” Evans said. “I knew it would come one day. I just didn’t know it would take 23 years.”
Source: chron.com
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May God continue to bless you. You have learned the secret to a happy and successful life: forgiveness. Your story and its outcome is inspiring.
may god bless you you are one of the lucky ones i went to prison in 1993 untill 1997 for a crime i did not do i think about this everyday four years of my life gone im going to try and find a way to get these felonys off my record i guess im one of the lucky ones to ive made it im alot stronger know the best i can tell you is not to hate anyone only to love everyone and you will get threw this and to think about all of the other brothers that are still in there for crimes they did not do
As I read this, I wondered if he would be compensated for the wrongful conviction. I was happy to read that he was. But I’m curious about when and if it expires. How much will he receive? I ‘m just curious because I could not imagine being in such a situation. He should receive compensation for as long as he needs it. With the psychological and possible physical trauma, a lifetime financial sentence for the state of Texas is surely in order.
Now all became clear, many thanks for the help in this question.