Man Cleared of Rape by DNA Is Pardoned
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From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Gov. George W. Bush agreed to pardon a man who was cleared by DNA tests after serving 12 years in prison for rape. Bush said in Austin, Texas, he made the decision after a judge endorsed the genetic evidence exonerating 36-year-old Kevin James Byrd. The tests were conducted on semen. District Judge Doug Shaver determined “that DNA evidence was properly handled and tested in the Byrd case, and secondly that based on this new evidence, Kevin Byrd is innocent of sexual assault,” the governor said.
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