A man convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl 41 years ago has been unanimously exonerated by Virginia’s Supreme Court on DNA evidence.
Roy L. Watford III, 58, from Chesapeake, Virginia, plead guilty to raping a young girl when he was 18 years old on the advice of his grandfather.
He was offered a plea deal that would let him avoid jail time, but he said the conviction has kept him from getting decent jobs all his life.
Watford was exonerated on Thursday by the court based on DNA testing in 2016 that proved his innocence to the crime.
Roy L. Watford III, 58, was convicted in 1977 of raping a 12-year-old girl when he was 18 years old. On Thursday, he was unanimously exonerated of the charges from the Virginia Supreme Court after new DNA evidence was revealed in 2016
Virginia’s top court unanimously exonerated Watford after the DNA evidence was presented to them.
‘The weight’s off my shoulders,’ Watford said to the Richmond-TImes Dispatch, a newspaper in Virginia.
Watford’s lawyer, Jon Sheldon, issued a write of actual innocence for the crime of raping a young girl in 1977 after the DNA evidence leaned toward his innocence.
Sheldon told the newspaper: ‘(Watford is) also very grateful that the Supreme Court of Virginia today recognized what he has been saying for almost 40 years – that he had nothing to do with the rape.’
The DNA testing in 2016 revealed it was not Watford’s sperm located on the victim or in her jeans. It also concluded the sperm wasn’t either of Watford’s younger brothers, who were also suspects in the case.
The victim testified during the hearing that she entered a vacant house where she saw one of Watford’s brothers and other men inside.
A blanket was then put over here head and she was unable to see her attacker. She was not able to recall if she saw or heard Watford during the assault.
The writ of actual innocence was opposed by the Virginia Attorney General’s office, which did note that the case was challenging.
The newspaper reported that Watford’s case appears to be the first exoneration granted that was opposed by the state.
For Watford’s case, he had to prove that no reasonable jury or judge would be able to convict him without a doubt because of the new evidence available.
After Watford plead guilty in 1977, he served a 10-year suspended sentence that involved no jail time and allowed him to finish high school.
But the conviction prevented Watford from getting a number of jobs he applied for because of his sentence.
Watford is now able to vote, serve jury duty, buy and own a firearm, hold office and drive a commercial vehicle.