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DC Police Framed Man Imprisoned for Nearly 3 Decades for Murder

© Flickr / Paul WrightAlthough he wasn’t at the scene of the crimes, Brandon Duncan, known by Tiny Doo, has spent nine months in jail on “gang conspiracy” charges arising from nine shootings that took place between May 2014 and Feb. 2014 in San Diego, California.
Although he wasn’t at the scene of the crimes, Brandon Duncan, known by Tiny Doo, has spent nine months in jail on “gang conspiracy” charges arising from nine shootings that took place between May 2014 and Feb. 2014 in San Diego, California. - Sputnik International
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A federal jury ruled on Wednesday that a man imprisoned for 27 years over a rape and murder in 1981 was framed by police.

An innocent man freed last year after 30 years on death row in Louisiana dies. - Sputnik International
Innocent Man on Death Row for 30 Years Died Hours Before Judge Cited Him
The city of Washington, DC, will now be liable for damages in the theft of nearly three decades of this man’s life.

The jurors ruled in favor of Donald E. Gates, 64, of Knoxville, Tennessee, on his federal civil rights claim for a wrongful conviction after only seven hours of deliberation.

Until 2009, Gates was serving a life sentence for the murder of Catherine T. Schilling, a 21-year-old Georgetown University student, when he was exonerated through DNA testing of a key piece of evidence, hair, that had previously only been microscopically and visually linked to him.

In 2012, Schilling’s real killer — a convicted offender who worked temporarily in Schilling’s building as a janitor — was found through genetic evidence.

The misconduct leading to Gates’ conviction, perpetrated by homicide detectives Ronald S. Taylor and Norman Brooks, both of whom are now retired, may cost the District millions.

“It feels like the God of the King James Bible is real, and he answered my prayers,” Gates told the Washington Post as he left the courtroom. “Justice is on the way to being fulfilled. We’ve still got some more work to do. It’s one of the happiest days of my life.”

There is no limit on what the court may award Gates in compensatory and punitive damages during the next phase of the trial.

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