Jones v. Louisiana
Annotate this CaseThis matter arose from Wilbert Jones’ suit for compensation under La. R.S. 15:572.8 (“Wrongful Conviction Compensation Statute”). Jones was indicted for the rape of A.H. on April 3, 1972. At trial, he testified that he did not rape A.H. and that he participated in a lineup because he was certain of his innocence. Despite earlier equivocations, A.H. testified that Jones was her assailant. In 2011, Jones filed a petition for post-conviction relief seeking DNA testing. He also presented additional evidence of similarities between A.H.’s rape and one committed by Arnold Ray O’Conner. A trial court ruled the State had committed a Brady violation, observing the near-identical modus operandi of the rape of O’Conner’s victim and that of A.H. The State ultimately dismissed the indictment against Jones and he was released from prison after nearly fifty years of confinement. Jones subsequently filed a petition for compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment relying on the factual findings of district court Judge Anderson and testimony by Dr. Margaret Kovera, an expert in eyewitness identification. Conducting a de novo review of the record, the court of appeal found Jones met his burden and remanded the matter to the trial court to determine the amount of compensation due. The Louisiana Supreme Court found no error in the court of appeal's determination, and affirmed its judgment.
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