n 1982, Steven Phillips became the chief suspect in an unusual string of sexual assaults and burglaries in Dallas, Texas and Kansas City, Missouri. Police were confident that the same assailant was responsible for the crimes in both cities.
After Dallas police turned their focus to Phillips, ten separate victims picked his photo out of dozens shown by police. None of the photo lineups were preserved as evidence, however, making it impossible to analyze the accuracy and quality of the procedures used. Phillips was convicted of sexual assault and burglary based largely on the eyewitness accounts, and he was sentenced to forty years in prison.
After serving twenty-six years in prison, DNA testing exonerated Steven Charles Phillips of multiple crimes and exposed many investigative errors.
In 2007, post-conviction DNA testing on the biological material from the Dallas case cleared Phillips of the sexual assault and burglary charges. Because police and prosecutors believed the same person committed all the crimes, the Court of Criminal Appeals fully exonerated Phillips on August 5, 2008.
A reinvestigation of the case revealed that Kansas City police had previously identified another suspect, Sydney Alvin Goodyear, and notified the Dallas police. At least one Dallas victim identified Goodyear from a photo lineup, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest prior to Dallas police focusing on Phillips. This exculpatory information was never disclosed to Phillips’ defense.
Because of misconduct and mistaken eyewitness identifications, Steven Charles Phillips spent twenty-six years in prison for crimes he did not commit.
