Non-IPNO exonerees
Clyde Charles
Years transpired between initial arrest and exoneration - 19
Causes of Wrongful Conviction - Eyewitness Misidentification; Improper and Invalidated Forensic Science; Underdeveloped DNA testing
Release Date - December 17, 1999
Clyde Charles had a spotless record when he was identified in 1981 by a rape victim as her assailant, even though he did not match the initial description she gave authorities. She identified Clyde as her rapist from her hospital bed. Clyde was 27 when he was convicted of aggravated rape in Terrebonne Parish in 1982 and sentenced to life in prison by 12 white jurors. Clyde's conviction was based largely on the identification from the victim, three microscopic "Caucasian" hairs that were found on his body, and the victim's testimony that the rapist had referred to himself as "Clyde." During Clyde's incarceration, his story garnered national attention when his case was featured on the PBS show "A Case for Innocence". In August 1999, after two prior failed appeals, the Innocence Project won the rights to DNA testing that excluded Clyde as the rapist. After 17 years of wrongful imprisonment (19 years including his first arrest), on December 17, 1999 Clyde became Louisiana's first DNA exoneree. After his release Clyde faced serious health issues, including diabetes which required dialysis three times a week. Tragically, on January 7, 2009, Clyde passed away.
Clyde Charles is also mentioned on the Innocence Project website.
Further Reading:
Bell, Rhonda, "DNA-Freed Prisoner's Nightmare Finally Over", The Times-Picayune, 13 January 2000: A01.
Bell, Rhonda, "The Long Journey Home For an Innocent Man", The Times-Picayune 19 December 1999.
Bell, Rhonda, "Inmate Wins Freedom Through DNA Test; Angola Releases Man After 18 Years", The Times-Picayune, 18 December 1999: A1.
Flynn, Scott, "DNA gothic",The New York Times. 27 April 2003. 9 July 2009.