A 70-year old California man convicted 39-years ago in the murder of his ex-girlfriend and her son gained freedom on Wednesday 22 November 2017, after DNA test showed he was wrongly convicted.
Following the DNA test result, California Governor, Jerry Brown ordered for his release from state prison in Lancaster.
Criag Richard Coley was arrested on November 11, 1978, the day his ex-girlfriend, Rhonda Wicht and her 4-year old son, Donald Wicht were found dead in her Simi apartment.
The 24-year old woman was strangled with a rope and her son was suffocated. Due to poor investigation then, investigators attributed the crime to Coley who had broken up with Wicht shortly before she was murdered.
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| Rhonda Wicht and her son |
In 1979, coley was charged to court but the presiding judge adjourned the case to 1980. In 1980, he was tried again, found guilty and sentenced to life without parole.
In 2016, a retired detective raised concerns about coley's guilt which lead to the review of the case.
Investigators took bold step but encountered challenge as the trial court ordered for the destruction of evidence after Coley exhausted his appeals.
However, investigators retrieved records from Coley's relatives and analysed biological samples at a private lab using advanced techniques which was not available at the time of his trial.
After the analysis, the technicians did not find Coley's DNA on one key piece of evidence used in conviction, but they did find DNA from other people, whom authorities have not identified.
Speaking at news conference on Monday, district attorney, Totten said,
"I must tell you I look forward to the day when I can shake Mr. Coley's hand, apologize to him for the injustice he suffered.
"I am also hopeful that one day soon we will bring to justice the violent man responsible for this most horrific crime", he added.
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