The U.S. Supreme Court has granted Rodney Reed petition. A man of African descent who has spent 25 years in prison for a crime he says he did not commit.
The decision will allow genetic analysis of evidence found at the Stacey Stites crime scene. A 19-year-old white girl who was raped and murdered in 1996.
Rodney Reed has been claiming his innocence from day one and has been fighting for genetic testing for several years. The Supreme Court decision reversed the ruling of the New Orleans Court of Appeals. Opportunity for Rodney Reed to prove his innocence before he is executed.
The news also highlights the importance of DNA testing in the fight for justice and the prevention of unequal application of punishment.
Since 1989, the Texas Innocence Project has exonerated nearly 600 people by DNA testing. And more than half of them were black.
Criminal defense attorney Tayrin Cardenas Wittenstein points out that the Supreme Court’s decision does not mean Reed is innocent. But it is an opportunity for him to prove his innocence before he loses his life.
In short, the Supreme Court’s decision gives Reed hope. And it underscores the importance of fairness and equality in the judicial system.
Source: TELEMUNDO AUSTIN
