Nearly 20 years after the mur­der of 9‑year-old Dawn Hamilton, Maryland pros­e­cu­tors have charged the man they believe is respon­si­ble for the crime by using the same DNA evi­dence used to exon­er­ate Kirk Bloodsworth (pic­tured right), who spent nine years in prison — includ­ing time on Maryland’s death row — for the crime. Bloodsworth was freed in 1993 after DNA tests con­clu­sive­ly deter­mined he was not the source of phys­i­cal evi­dence found at the scene of the crime. Prosecutors now believe the evi­dence has con­clu­sive­ly linked the per­pe­tra­tor’s DNA to Kimberly Ruffner, who has been jailed on sep­a­rate sex­u­al assault charges since soon after the 1984 mur­der of Hamilton. Ruffner has been charged with first-degree mur­der. (Associated Press, September 5, 2003). See Innocence.

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