James Bain and Jonathan Barr were convicted for crime they have never committed. Like many others, false allegations cause innocent individuals to be arrested for crimes they have not committed. Results from DNA testing have been used as great evidence to help people reach their freedom from being behind bars. To prevent the conviction of innocent individuals, DNA tests should be mandatory to take when proving one’s evidence. James Bain was a man who was arrested without any DNA evidence to prove his innocence. First, James Bain was found guilty for the raping of a nine-year-old-boy in 1974.
The crime as committed in Lake Wales, Florida (“James Bain”). This statement shows why and when James Bain was arrested. Next, the victim who was raped misidentified James Bain for another man, which was the reasoning for James’s conviction. Officials believed that James was the man who raped the nine-year-old boy because of this mistake of identification (“James Bain”). The assertion given acknowledges that the evidence against James was false. Finally, James was only nineteen years old when he was arrested for the crimes charged against him. James told officials that he was innocent.
While the crime was being ommitted, James claims that he was at home with his sister watching television. James pleaded multiple times for DNA testing but was rejected (Bain and Miller). This quote from James proceeds to tell of what he was doing during the time meaning he was not near the boy at all. James was wrongly convicted over the mistakes the victim has made when identifying his rapist. Like James Bain, Jonathan Barr was also arrested under false allegations. Jonathan Barr is an individual who was falsely convicted due to an error in DNA results.
To begin Cateresa Matthews, a fourteen-year-old girl, was the victim of being raped and urdered in Chicago. After twenty days of her disappearance her body was found naked from the waist down on December 8, 1991, near l-57 in Dixmoor. Police found a bullet wound in her mouth. This wound was created by using a . 25-caliber weapon (Warden). The information provided demonstrates who Cateresa was, the crimes done to her, and where her body was found. Afterwards, Keno Barnes reports to police that he has heard Jonathan Barr mention that he saw Cateresa enter a car with Robert Taylor and Robert Lee Veal (Warden).
This evidence shows how Jonathan saw Cateresa before her disappearance. Finally with these results, Jonathan Barr, James Harden, and Robert Taylor were arrested for the raping and murder of Cateresa Matthews. They were all teenagers when convicted (The University of Chicago Staff). This announcement tells of the men who were arrested and what their age group was when convicted. With both cases, DNA testing and misidentification were major factors of James’s and Jonathan’s arrest. Misidentification and the rejection of DNA testing dealt with the case of James Bain’s kidnapping and raping.
First, James wrote and submitted motions four times for DNA testing, yet he was rejected each time (James Bain). This shows the effort James made to show officials his innocence. The next issue with James was the fact that DNA testing was not available in 1974. DNA testing came to use within court cases in 1988, yet James was still not granted a DNA test (Bain and Miller). This piece of history provides some useful information on why James was never tested. Next, the evidence used against James in court was another leading factor of why James was convicted.
The man who raped the boy ejaculated onto the boy’s underwear, which was used against James in his trial (“James Bain”). This statement shows how the underwear from the crime was used o put James in prison. Finally James was granted a DNA test. James took a DNA test in 2009 which lead proving him innocent (“James Bain”). These results prove how long it took for James to finally receive the DNA test he had wished for. Jonathan Barr was also a victim of issues with DNA testing. Jonathan Barr experienced issues with DNA testing as well.
To start, there was evidence at the scene of the crime. Sperm found within the victim’s body, which lead to DNA testing (The University of Chicago Staff). The sperm left in the body was used in court as a source of evidence against the suspects. Next, Jonathan was granted a DNA test during the time of the crime unlike James Bain. Jonathan’s DNA results first failed to prove his innocence (Mills and Grimm 1). This explains why many saw Jonathan guilty of rape and murder. Because his DNA test failed, Jonathan was thrown behind bars. Lastly, Jonathan’s prosecution still took action.
The prosecution continued forward after the defendants were excluded as the donors of semen. A post-conviction request for DNA testing was rejected (The University of Chicago Staff). This information provides more details on why Jonathan was still arrested and how after he was xcluded from being a donor of semen, his prosecution continued on. Jonathan finally had the chance to receive another DNA test. Jonathan’s DNA test took place in 2011, which finally proved that he was innocent (Mills and Grimm 2). This statement concludes the struggles Jonathan had to face when going through conviction.
He was finally proven innocent after fourteen years. When there is bad, there is good in many situations like these. These men were finally proven innocent after many years. James Bain experienced a large portion of his life in prison for crimes he did not commit. James was finally released from rison on December 17, 2009 (“James Bain”). This statement provides information on the release of James. Next, James was imprisoned for a long amount of time. James spent thirty-five years in prison for crimes he never committed. When he was arrested, he was only nineteen years old.
James was fifty-four years old when released from prison (“James Bain”). This informs the reader of how much time James spent in prison. Next, Jonathan Barr has been released as well. Jonathan Barr was finally proven innocent after all the years he has spent in prison. Jonathan Barr was in prison for fourteen years and was released in 2011 (Warden). This statement proves the release of Jonathan and the amount of time he spent in prison. Jonathan Barr would have never been released if other individuals never helped him out.
The University of Chicago Law School students in the Exoneration Project helped with the release of Jonathan Barr, who was falsely convicted of murder (The University of Chicago Staff). The students of this school helped Jonathan be released from prison. Finally, the real murderer of Cateresa Matthews has been found. Five years after the DNA tests were completed, in August 2016, DNA results led to the murder being committed by Willie Randolph (Warden). This acknowledges that after all these years, the real murderer has finally been found.
The charges against James Bain and Jonathan Barr were finally lifted from each individual because of their innocence. In conclusion, both James Bain and Jonathan Barr were proven innocent with DNA evidence. These innocent individuals have spent a portion of their lives in prison for crimes they did not commit. These cases prove how DNA testing should always be considered with most cases because it can lead to more accurate results. Evidence from DNA testing helped to prove the innocence of James Bain and Jonathan Barr, who were falsely convicted.
