Mississippi death row inmate seeks stay of execution based on FBI forensic errors

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

Hours from execution, a Mississippi inmate renewed appeals Monday to retest DNA evidence in his conviction for the 1992 killings of two college students after the FBI acknowledged forensic errors in the case.

Lawyers for Willie Jerome Manning, 44, asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to stay his death by lethal injection, set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, after the FBI conceded over the weekend that one of its agents improperly claimed at Manning’s 1994 trial that hairs at the crime scene came from an African American. Manning his black; the victims were white.

As the high court considered Manning’s request for a stay, Gov. Phil Bryant (R) weighed a separate defense request to stay the execution filed after federal authorities conceded that the FBI agent exaggerated his ability to trace hairs to an African American.

The Justice Department and FBI offered to retest the DNA evidence, using new testing technology, in hopes that the retest could identify the person involved in sexually assaulting one of the two murder victims.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/mississippi-death-row-inmate-seeks-stay-of-execution-based-on-fbi-forensic-errors/2013/05/06/02eead3a-b687-11e2-aa9e-a02b765ff0ea_singlePage.html

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Think Progress has more details from Manning's lawyers. Washington Post also reported on Friday: "Justice Dept. admits flaws in forensic testimony in Mississippi death-row case"

[Deep13]

1. Hair identification as a science pretty much doesn't exist. nt

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. It does/did ...

in Mississippi when the defendant is/was Black.

[annm4peace]

3. amazing how there can be doubt

yet the states still will execute. I know I signed a petition to stay the execution.

I wish I still had link to post. There is so much attention on his case, it is amazing they can still execute.

[duhneece]

7. Like Troy Davis

I'll never understand how he could have been executed. Never.

[annm4peace]

8. Me either

you would think because of the huge public response to the murder of Troy Davis these states would back down.

I'll never forget Troy Davis and the fact they knew he was innocent and still murdered him. and might as well say his sister also with all the stress she had to go through. It had to have added to her cancer.

I just couldn't believe after all those petitions and calls that it seemed like he was going to get a retrial. it is damning to our country.

[duhneece]

9. It's weird how good it feels to me that you followed Troy's killing closely, too

It hurt so badly, but you've make me feel better. Sometimes, I need just that.

[pipoman]

4. Depending on other evidence, this sounds like

a possible successful appeal..impossible to know without knowing the weight of the tainted evidence..

[Politicalboi]

5. I hope they can get something right

Sounds like this guy has had a stroke of bad luck. I wonder if he did this or not.

Manning was convicted and sentenced to death separately for killing two elderly women in their apartment in Starkville in 1993. That sentence remains on appeal.

[freshwest]

6. They should stay his execution based on this, do the testing. Prove themselves right, or don't do it