Non-IPNO exonerees
Michael Williams
Years transpired between initial arrest and exoneration - 24
Cause of Wrongful Conviction - Eyewitness Misidentification
Release Date - March 11, 2005
Michael Williams was just 16 years old when he was wrongfully convicted for the rape of a 22-year-old Jackson Parish woman in 1981. The victim's face was covered during the attack, but she testified that she heard Michael's voice and that she could then identify him as the rapist. The victim knew Michael well and the two had prior interactions that led her to believe Michael had been her attacker. At the trial her identification was the strongest evidence against him. DNA testing conducted by the Innocence Project proved Michael did not commit the rape, and he was released in March 2005.
Michael Williams is also mentioned on the Innocence Project website.
Further Reading
Roberts, Janet and Elizabeth Stanton "A Long Road Back After Exoneration, and Justice is Slow to Make Amends", The New York Times. 25 November 2007
Zimmerman, Ann "A Convict Freed by DNA Evidence Tries to Find a New Life." The Wall Street Journal. 30 October 2007