Roy Criner Case Essay

Roy Criner Case The body of Deanna Ogg was found in a secluded wooded area near an old logging road on September 27, 1986, in Montgomery County, Texas. The cause of death was determined by autopsy to be blunt trauma injuries to the head and multiple stab wounds to the neck. The victim was also sexually assaulted. Roy Criner became a suspect after allegedly bragging to friends that he had picked up and had sex with a young woman and "had to get rough with her." In 1990, Criner was convicted of raping and murdering Ogg based on his alleged statements and improper forensic testimony. A forensic analyst testified that serology testing on semen from vaginal and rectal specimens showed blood groups matching both Criner and the victim. He said Criner and 40% of men matched the sample and could have been the perpetrator. This testimony was incorrect,
Washington--sentenced to death in 1984 for the rape and murder of Rebecca Lynn Williams--was pardoned October 2, 2000 by Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore III, who stated that new DNA tests found no trace of Washington's DNA on evidence found at the crime scene. Earl Washington was finally freed from prison February 12, 2001, after 18 years of imprisonment. Washington is the third prisoner whose freedom can be attributed in part to FRONTLINE's investigation for "The Case for Innocence." Roy Criner was pardoned in August by Texas Gov. George W. Bush after DNA tests proved he could not have committed the rape and murder for which he had served nearly ten years in prison. Criner's case drew national attention when the Texas Court of Appeals refused to grant him a new trial despite the fact that two separate DNA tests confirmed that the semen found in the victim was not