DNA Exonerates Man In Prison For 26 Years

Convicted Of Rape In 1981, Texas Inmate Freed After DNA Test Proves His Innocence

(AP)  A Dallas man wrongly imprisoned since 1981 is free after a judge recommended overturning his aggravated sexual assault conviction.

With several of his eight siblings cheering his release, 47-year-old Charles Chatman was released on his own recognizance after serving nearly 27 years of a 99-year sentence.

That made Chatman the longest imprisoned inmate of 15 from Dallas County to be cleared by DNA testing. That is the most of any county in the nation. In all, at least 30 Texas inmates have been cleared by DNA testing, according to the Innocence Project. That's the most of any state in the nation.

Mike Ware, who heads the Conviction Integrity Unit in the Dallas County District Attorney's office, said he expects that number to increase.

Chatman said throughout his 26 years in prison that he never raped the woman who lived five houses down from him.

“I'm bitter. I'm angry,” Chatman told The Associated Press during what was expected to be his last night in jail Wednesday. “But I'm not angry or bitter to the point where I want to hurt anyone or get revenge.”

Chatman's nearly 27 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault make him the longest-serving inmate in Texas to be freed by DNA evidence, Innocence Project lawyers said. They brought Chatman brand-new clothes, including pants, a collared shirt, socks and shoes, to the jail late Wednesday for him to wear upon his release.

“Tomorrow is your big day,” Jeff Blackburn, chief counsel of the Innocence Project of Texas, told Chatman.

Chatman was 20 when the victim, a young woman in her 20s, picked him from a lineup. Chatman said he lived five houses down from the victim for 13 years but never knew her.

At the time the woman was assaulted, Chatman said he didn't have any front teeth; he had been certain that feature would set him apart from the real assailant.

“I'm not sure why he ended up on that photo spread to begin with,” Ware said.

Chatman, who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault in 1981 and sentenced to life in prison, credited his faith for not extinguishing his hope for exoneration after more than a quarter-century in prison.

“I want this situation addressed,” Chatman said of his conviction. “But I don't have the anger that I used to.”

Ware said Chatman would likely be released on a personal recognizance bond until the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals makes an official ruling on his case.

Dallas County public defender Michelle Moore said Chatman applied for DNA testing in 2004 but was told the process could be risky. The only evidence containing DNA was from a vaginal swab of the victim, Moore said, and a single test would consume the entire sample. An inconclusive test would exhaust all evidence.

Chatman was again warned of the gamble when he reapplied for testing early last year.

“This is a guy who's had to face horrible decisions,” Moore said.

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins has started a program in which law students, supervised by the Innocence Project of Texas, are reviewing about 450 cases in which convicts have requested DNA testing to prove their innocence.

One of the inmates helped by the Innocence Project, Clay Reed Chabot, is expected to be retried. DNA tests refuted the testimony of a key prosecution witness in the case, but prosecutors say DNA testing did not exonerate Chabot in the murder.

[random_radar]

When an innocent man goes to prison, a guilty man goes free. That should bother us a lot more than it does for two reasons. First, we are not just when we rush to judgment and convict people on faulty evidence. Second, we have a false sense of security believing that the murderers and rapists are in prison when they are actually still living next door and plotting their next crime.

But it appears that our society prefers to throw lots of innocent people in jail under the assumption that if enough people get imprisoned, we will surely catch all the crooks. When you find yourself behind bars for a crime you didn''t commit, things will appear far different. It must be awful to spend years in prison knowing you are innocent.

[pam1sadge]

It is awful for anyone who is innocent to spend one day in jail. Our judicial system is structured on people telling the truth instead of pointing the finger in a line-up if you have any doubts. This seems to be what has put so many people behind bars when they were innocent from the start. A victim who wants justice may be less than 100% sure of who they are convicting. Therein lies the problem.

[slim1h2o]

To paraphrase;
There''s something rotten in Texas

[jstarrj]

What is wrong with our system? 99 years for rape? If he had murdered someone he would have gotten 25 years with time off for good behavior. Someone needs to look into this problem and clean up these stupid sentences.

[fornicario]

Has anything good come out of Texas in the past twenty years? So far Texas has given us the Enron scandal, which spread into the energy market at large, more and more horror stories about how Texans execute and jail the innocent, and let us not forget the perennial immigration problem. Maybe it is time to start reexamining what exactly Texas legislatures have done for itself, plus what troubles it has caused this country to bail the state out of.

[displeased]

It''s a shame that before DNA, our justice system would convict some people based on the victim choosing from a lineup. I''ve experimented with psychology tests that prove people''s memory of details become quickly distorted, especially with stressful situations. I can''t help but wonder how many other innocents are locked up based on subjective testimonies.

[lochlan-2009]

How can there be no crime commited against this man who lost his entire adult life because of the opinion of the prosecutor and witness? It''s illegal to walk across the street in the wrong place in this country, but to point a finger, without proof, and destroy an innocent citizens life, that''s perfectly fine.

[inventagod]

Funny, a Republican was governor in 1981 for the first time since Reconstitution. Bill Clements was an oilman, and his last job was working for Donald Rumsfeld.
While Clements was governor, Charlie Brooks, Jr., was the first inmate ever to be executed by lethal injection (December 1982).
Ahhh, Texass...

[bigsk8fan]

it is cases like this that create my greatest misgivings about capital punishment. i am not against capital punishment per se. but so many innocent people are convicted, like this poor guy. if he had been sentenced to death, he may have already been executed within the past 27 years.

[taddles-2009]

27 people on death row have been exonerated by retesting DNA evidence since Texas started allowing this testing in the last 10 years.

Wonder how many innocent people were killed by the state of Texas before that time.

[sjw1253]

From the last sentence in the article "but prosecutors say DNA testing did not exonerate Chabot in the murder."...

I do not understand - not once in the article does it mention he was convicted of a murder or that a murder occurred...

I do not understand that sentence and it should either have been omitted or it should be better explained. The woman clearly survived as she id''ed the guy...

[dowjones20k]

Some opinions posted are laughable ...

Some folks seem to forget how far this country has come in the past decade with technology and science ... in 1982 there was very litte of either, but at least they had enough fortitude to save DNA samples albeit slim. Let''s not forget that a JURY of peers convicted this man .. so hopefully it was based on the evidence .... or not.

Seems only the young and naive think rape or murder is a simple little crime that warrants a few years in prison, I would say let these simple criminals stay at your house with your daughters or sisters ...

America is not perfect and to blame one state is preposterous ... the system continues to better itself, however the politcians continue to slide into the gutter ....

I am relieved this man was exonerated by DNA and hopefully after he gets his few million dollars he will be able to move on .....

[jshmks]

It''s a shame, that''s 26 years you can never get back. And for something you NEVER did.

[chevygrl1]

sjw1253, you need to work on your reading skills. The defendant mentioned at the end of the article in the murder case is NOT the same man as the one who was just exonerated in the rape case.

It''s wonderful to see an innocent man freed, although it''s horrible that he had to wait so long for it to happen. I wish him all the best in his new life!

[displeased]

America is not perfect and to blame one state is preposterous ...
Posted by Dowjones20k

I don''t think people are blaming one state. It just comes easy to criticize Texas because of their reputation of stern convictions.

[Krazcarl]

I know Bush is from Texas and that explains a little but this is just plain stupid were in a rigged police state theres is no other explanation!!!

[denn034]

It''s unfortunate that this woman wasn''t more careful. She hurt all rape victims by that false identification.

[zappom]

It happens ALL THE TIME! Only now do we live at a time where some lucky few can find relief via DNA technology. Imagine how many have perished inside the walls and how many innocent people are still there today for whom DNA is not relevant or available.

[zappom]

Imagine too what the real perpetrator in Chapman''''s case has been doing for the past 26 years.

[zappom]

They say that ""everyone"" says they are innocent. Thats not true. Most convicts accept their guilt, even if they sometimes ""qualify"" it. But what if 25-30% of all convicts are actually not guilty? Thats not an unreasonable number given how many have in fact been proven innocent over the years.

The real trouble here lies with an over-zealous system bent on extracting revenge from offenders, revenge in the form of decades long sentences of enduring misery. While inside very little of value and quite a lot of negative energy (hatred, anger, pain, etc)is produced. If instead we placed a higher emphasis on restorative justice and on making our communities whole, and actually valuing the offender as a human being, treating them with dignity and, yes, respect we might find that we could tear down 9 out of 10 prisons built in the last 30 years and America could quit being the nation with the highest incarceration rate in the world.

A great many of the guilty are people just like you and me. Simply locking people up doesn''t solve the problem of crime. What most need is some serious treatment and not the lip service sessions that pass for it today in our penal institutions. For as long as we fail to adopt a proactive treatment-based stance to corrections and justice thats how long we will all suffer the consequences.

[usakousagi]

So... this is comforting the state that put an "express lane" on their death row has the most innocent people convicted for over 20 years. That makes me sleep better.

[knyghtwolf]

Dowjones20k, yes, PLEASE blame ONE FRIGGIN'' state, texass is the home of genetic ignorance, in texass, STUPIDITY is the real religion & IGNORANCE the way of life!!! I lived there while my son was in prison for a crime he did not commit, and this goes on ALL THE TIME there. Even when they KNEW he was not guilty, the real perp was hauled in, his family was in the oil business, they posted his bond, and he fled, AFTER the judge was warned he was a flight risk!!! The judge was friends with the family and he stated that "no one was gonna tell him how to run his show" and allowed bail. My son sat at home with me for two years waiting for this punk piece of shiit to be caught AGAIN, and the judge was going to allow bail to be posted AGAIN!!!! If the state court had not stepped in on an emergencey injunction, the punk would have gotten bail again. It took us three years to do what should have been done in less than six months and about $10,000 later. Most texans I ever met were about the same level as talking monkeys. The lawyer for the defendent said that "god must have wanted my son punished for sumtin, ta let him be in jail for at least six months" I really wanted to see if his god would protect him from a good old fashioned YANKEE AZZ WHIPPING but he got into an accident shortly after the trial and got busted for DUI & involuntary vehicular homicide, karma does work.

[scottyusa]

What is 27 years of someone''s life worth? The attitude that Chatman has about all this amazes me and I salute him. Hopefully, Texas will give him some real compensation for what he has lost.

[debby191950]

I hope he got teeth while in prison and then maybe the courts should find the women and she should say I''m sorry. That means the true Rapist is still lose out there. Still raping or maybe he final got caught and is doing time.

[dowjones20k]

knyghtwolf ...

Seems your bitter ... if indeed your child was incarcerated and was innocent then you may have reason ...

Texas is not the only state that has problems with it''s legal system .. all states do .. look at any state and you will find injustice .. it''s the lawyers (liars) and the connected ... I recall an incident with my brother in 1981 ... he was arrested for DUI .. threw himself on the mercy of the court and the judge (California) told him to get a lawyer or he was gonna throw the book at him ...

Texas is not the holy grail for ridiculous legal idiots .. too many liars and thier cronies .. they make the laws and then ajudicate them ...

It''s the entire country not just Texas ...

My point is that science (DNA) and technology have helped defendents who are innocent .... and it was not as developed in 1982 ..

[rushlimpdrug]

His being guilty all these years is called compassionate christan conservative values.

If I recall correctly George Bush practiced it when he was governor of TexUS making sure he executed as many inmates as possible.

That''s what they do in TexUS. Great state with great DA''s.

The DA''s in TexUS can do no wrong.

If you ain''t rich in TexUS you ain''t free and you isn''t nobody (that''s how they talk down there).

[trenticus-2009]

Now just PAY THE MAN!!!

[magoo2u1]

Them DA''s in Texas are so good they can convict innocent people of just about any crime you can name.

[formrusmcsgt]

"Chatman was 20 when the victim, a young woman in her 20s, picked him from a lineup."

Then she should get 26 years for falsly accusing this man.

[wonderyman-2009]

A 99 yr. sentence for rape is begging any rapist to consider "eliminating" the victim/witness for good. Choosing between the options of almost certain life imprisonment or a slim chance of death row.
A choice probably made under influence of alcohol and/or drugs - and in a matter of seconds.....

[akakjb]

I''m sure this guy has a stack of cards from glorified ambulance chasers, all promising him that he''s just won the lottery. Unfortunately, that''s just another part of the problem with the legal system in the US. There are no ''investigations'', law enforcement finds a suspect they like and build a case around them. So much easier than actually looking for the proverbial ''one armed man''.

[toolmangler-2009]

Then she should get 26 years for falsly accusing this man.
Posted by formrusmcsgt at 07:56 PM : Jan 03, 2008



Sarge, it''s easy to say that in hindsight, please reconsider.

[dylanxxv]

Just say "NO zebras"...

[dylanxxv]

Just say "NO zebras"...

[klingon69]

I''''m against the death penalty for this very reason.In Texas,they hang''''em first and then ask questions later.Death row still hasn''''t stopped violent criminals.Education is cheaper than sitting in jail.If you can turn them towards reading,you can turn them away from a life of crime.If he started reading the legal books,he would have been released much sooner.
Posted by MagicMerlin8 at 07:42 PM : Jan 03, 2008
Nobody in Texas has been executed for decades.
Knightwolf:
Sorry about your child''s legal problems, however from personal experience, alot of those caught and incarcerated in TEXAS are displaced yankee scum, who have met the end of their reign in the great north

[klingon69]

oops, should''ve read nobody has been executed by hanging in TEXAS in decades.

[kansas1946]

Well, what a suprise. Another innocent person convicted in Texas. Something stinks in Texas. They execute about a person a month. More people than the whold country combined. I can just imagine how many innocent people have been put to death in Texas. They must have the most corrupt prosecutors and the dumbest jurors in the nation.

[knyghtwolf]

Dowjones20k, I have lived in well over half the states in the union, growing up in a military family, that''s just how it was, but in all, and I do mean ALL the states I have ever lived, texass was the absolute worst one of them all. I am not bitter about this, but I am angry that this still goes on today in the youth judicial system. My son paid a hard price for this as soon as we could, we got out of texass and got on with our lives, the problem is that too many are still stuck there suffering, dying, being used & abused by good ole'' boys, meaning NOTHING but harm, sick & twisted with oil money and shoe sized IQ''s, playing god with a child''s mind just because they think they can.

[Krazcarl]

Locking up folks for fun in Texas,,,,

[whatithink-2009]

Texas leads the nation in DNA reversals of convicted people. Shouldn''t this one fact put the fear of God in the hearts of those who have executed people in that state? If you execute an innocent person, what does that make you?

[quetzal666]

In Houston a federal Judge Closed down the Criminal Lab because of incompetence, the person in charge was fired, thousands of cases had to be retried,
after a few years the lab reoppened, and just last month a crime lab worker was arrested for tampering with evidence and being high on the job........
he was diluting evidence and doing it on the job,
he has since been fired and charged.
whats wrong with Texas?
too many people wanting to win a case at any cost to further their careers, ive heard people say
i knew he was innocent, but he got due process.

[nv4me]

How many more are there?
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words:
www.poconocommunitynews.com

[kailumego1]

For all those screaming and foaming at the mouth about the Duke case, at least none of the alleged defendants were actually convicted and served time for a crime neither had committed.

But in this case an innocent man went to prison for 26.5 years for a crime he didn''t commit, so where is the outrage over his just "monetary compensation"?

It is cases such as this one that merits hefty monetary settlements, and not the 30 mill given to these spoiled little rich brats that brought this on themselves.

And I know there will be many hypocrites out there arguing he shouldn''t receive millions, claiming the legal system is already over-burden by "lawsuits".

But how can you justify the Duke defendants receiving 30 mill, for a minor inconvenience, while this man spent 26.5 years in prison?