In a 5-2 decision, the Florida Supreme Court overturned the murder and sexual battery convictions and death sentence of Roy Swafford (pictured), who has been on death row since 1988. The court said in its decision that “No witness, DNA, or fingerprints link Swafford to the victim or the murder weapon. The newly discovered forensic evidence regarding the alleged sexual battery changes the very character of the case and affects the admissibility of evidence that was heard by the jury.” Retesting of evidence from the case indicated that, contrary to earlier tests, a chemical found in semen was not present on the victim, suggesting that she was not sexually assaulted before the murder. The prosecution had said the assault motivated the murder, so the new evidence removes the likely motive. The Supreme Court also said that jurors did not hear evidence about another suspect who matched descriptions of the murderer, owned a car that matched the one used in abducting the victim, and owned the same type of gun used in the murder. Swafford’s attorney, Terri Backhus, summed up the decision, saying, “Not only did the court say he gets a new trial on the sexual battery and the murder, but the Supreme Court said the trial court should grant a motion for judgment of acquittal on the sexual battery.”
(F. Fernandez, “Supreme Court overturns death sentence in 1982 Ormond Beach murder,” Daytona Beach News-Journal, November 7, 2013) Read the Florida Supreme Court opinion. See Innocence.
