Falsely Executed In 2017 — Ledell Lee Died For A Murder He Did Not Commit.
According to reports, lawyers representing the Innocence Project and ACLU had demanded for a fresh DNA tests on the bloody shirt that was presented as an evidence four years ago.
The state of Arkansas charged a black American man, that was born on July 31, 1965, in Blytheville, Arkansas, Ledell Lee to death for the murder of Debra Reese on October 1993 at her home.
The charge which also maintained that she was reportedly harassed sexually before she was beaten to death with a tire thumper. Although Lee pleaded not guilty but the attorney General, Leslie Rutledge still gave a go-ahead-order for his execution.
Seeing serious flaws in the evidence being charged against Lee, the lawyers from the two organizations demanded for a DNA test on the weapon used, the fingerprints found at the scene, and the bloody shirt.
The results were released on Friday and an unknown man’s DNA was found and none of them proved that Lee was the killer.
The DNA tests on the additional fingerprints and the wooden club did not match anyone’s profile after a search on the national database.
According to Mr Brasfield;
“Before you execute someone make sure you study all the evidences carefully, especially DNA evidence because we know now that the DNA evidence can be compelling and definitive to say one way or the other.”
In defense, attorney Rutledge claimed the court consistently rejected Lee’s claim because the evidence was beyond any doubt that he was the one behind the killing of the 26-year-old Mrs Debra Reese in her apartment in Jacksonville, Arkansas.
Neighbors accused that they saw Lee near her house and he asarrested after spending the alleged $300 he stole from her before striking her two death with the tire thumper 36 times. He was convicted of first-degree murder by the jury and sentenced to death through a lethal injection.