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From Misidentification to Redemption: The Ronald Cotton Story
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From Misidentification to Redemption: The Ronald Cotton Story
Posted by admin on April 22, 2025, 18:01 545 0

The Crime and Misidentification

In July 1984, Jennifer Thompson, a college student in Burlington, North Carolina, was raped at knifepoint in her apartment. Determined to remember her assailant's features, she later identified Ronald Cotton from a photo lineup. This identification, despite Cotton's insistence of innocence, became the cornerstone of the prosecution's case. Cotton was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to life plus 54 years in prison.

The Road to Exoneration

While incarcerated, Cotton learned that another inmate, Bobby Poole, had confessed to the crime. However, Poole denied involvement when questioned. In 1995, DNA testing, unavailable during the original trial, was conducted on evidence from the crime scene. The results excluded Cotton and matched Poole. Consequently, all charges against Cotton were dismissed, and he was released after serving over 10 years. ...Read More

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