---
title: 'RESOURCES: Bloodsworth--The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA'
description: 'A new biography by Tim Junkin entitled Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA recounts the events that led first to…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/resources-bloodsworth-the-true-story-of-the-first-death-row-inmate-exonerated-by-dna'
section: news
date: '2004-09-14T19:19:54-04:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:23:39-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

A new biography by Tim Junkin entitled **Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA** recounts the events that led first to the conviction and death sentence, and then to the freeing of Kirk Bloodsworth for the murder of a nine-year-old girl in Maryland. Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking describes the book as "Chilling, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring." Scott Turow says: "Bloodsworth is a tale of courage and determination in the face of the law's worst nightmare--the execution of an innocent man." Senator Patrick Leahy calls Bloodsworth "a powerful indictment of the a death penalty system that is fundamentally broken." (Algonquin Books, 2004). See [Innocence](/innocence-and-death-penalty?did=412&scid=6).