Pennsylvania death row inmate Nicholas James Yarris may become the next per­son to be freed from death row. In light of new DNA evi­dence that excludes Yarris as the per­son respon­si­ble for the 1981 rape and mur­der for which he was con­vict­ed, U.S. District Court Judge James Giles said that Yarris must be freed or grant­ed a new tri­al in Delaware County with­in two weeks. Giles gave the Delaware County dis­trict attor­ney’s office and defense attor­neys 10 days to con­firm that the new DNA tests are accu­rate. The Judge said that with­in 48 after that dead­line, he will rule on whether to release or retry Yarris. Yarris, 41, has spent 21 years on Pennsylvania’s death row, and has always main­tained his inno­cence. (Philadelphia Inquirer, August 20, 2003). Read the Federal Defender’s Press Release. See Innocence.

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