The Innocence Project: The story of Ronald Cotton Continued....

       My personal response is to this story is that cops have to be more throe. They convivted him from a eye wittness, which is not very reliable, and some rubber. Then another factor that the system should of done is had the man in prison who said he committed the crimes investigated. This could of had Ronald freed and would of had him only spent 2 years in jail besides of 10.5 years.  I have learned that DNA has set hundreds free and has help catch other people.

The Innocence Project: The story of Ronald Cotton

         In 1994, a man was running around, robbing, and rapping women in their houses. Then after that an innocent man na med Ronald Cotton. He was arrested on only 2 pieces of evidence. One being an eye witness account, that later was proven to be false. The second piece of evidence being his tennis shoes had the same consistant of rubber, as found on the crime scene with just those two pieces of evidence he was put in jail till his trials. For his first trial he was convicted of one count of rape and one count of burglary. he was in jail for 2 more years until in 1987 he was to go to his second trial. Before the second trial though, a man in prison, who had been convicted for similar crimes, told another inmate that he had committed the crimes for which Cotton had been convicted. This was told to the superior court judge and was not allowed to be in the evidence. After the trial Cotton had been convicted of for another rape, and burglary.

Cotton stayed inside jail until in 1994 chief appellate defender requested that two new lawyers take over Cotton’s defense. they asked for a DNA test and their request was granted in october, 1994. The seamen from the victims and from the cotton did NOT MATCH. So in 1995 cotton asked for all charges to be dropped. on june 30th of 1995, Ronald Cotton was released from jail and received a 5000 dollor compensation from the state of North Carolina.