Malcolm Alexander was convicted in New Orleans in 1980 of a rape in a case where the only evidence against him was the eyewitness identification by the victim who was attacked from behind, in a trial that took less than a day from beginning to verdict. His trial lawyer didn’t give an opening statement, closing argument, or present any witnesses in his defense. The fact that the victim identified Malcolm four months after the crime occurred, and that police thought she was “tentative” in her singling out Malcolm was never presented to the jury either.
But thanks to DNA testing obtained by the Innocence Project last year, he was excluded as the perpetrator, and on Tuesday, Malcolm was released.
Innocence Project New Orleans, which served as local counsel with the New York-based Innocence Project, is now working with legislators “to strengthen eyewitness identification procedures to protect the integrity of the criminal justice system and to prevent another Malcolm Alexander from being wrongfully convicted.”
You can support Malcolm in his return to the world by shopping for him on his Amazon wish list. He’s starting practically from scratch, so he needs everything. Check out his list, and if possible, donate a couple of dollars for some of the items he needs to begin again.
Thank you!!
