The Associated Press is covering a state claims board's consideration of the case of Robert Lee Stinson, a Milwaukee man who spent 23 years in prison before the work of the Wisconsin Innocence Project freed him.

Stinson was 21 years old in 1984 when he was convicted of killing a Milwaukee woman. He was convicted largely on the basis of bite-mark evidence, even though Stinson was missing a tooth and the bite marks on the victim showed no such gap.

The Wisconsin Innocence Project raised questions about the validity of the bite-mark evidence, and showed that DNA in saliva found on the victim's sweater could not have come from Stinson. As a result, a judge overturned Stinson's conviction in 2008.

Now Stinson is seeking compensation for his wrongful imprisonment. He told the AP that he hopes the award will allow him to go to school and earn a degree in criminal justice.

The full article is available here.

Submitted by UW Law School News on December 11, 2010

This article appears in the categories: In the Media