Jerry Lee Evans
When Jerry Lee Evans was prosecuted for a sexual assault in Dallas, he believed that the truth would come out when the victim took the stand. Evans thought that “when the young lady would see me in court, she’d say it wasn’t me.” Unfortunately, the victim did identify him from the stand, and Evans spent almost twenty-three years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
The victim had been out dancing with a friend one night in 1986 when she was attacked. The two women were near downtown Dallas when a man, who they described as having a speech impediment, forced his way into the car at knifepoint. The man sexually assaulted the victim and stole money and jewelry from both women before fleeing. Police were unable to identify a suspect initially, but eventually tips came forward that a man who matched the description of the perpetrator went to a day-laborer bunkhouse that was near the location of the attack. Evans matched the physical description of the assailant and had a similar speech impediment, so police placed his picture in a photo lineup that was shown to the victim almost one year after the crime occurred.
Today, Dallas County prosecutors argue that police were suffering from tunnel vision when they presented a photo lineup to the victim, and actively led and encouraged the victim to choose Evans and provided reinforcing feedback after she picked him. The jury convicted Evans and sentenced him to life in prison.
Evans began to pursue DNA testing in 2002, but it was not until 2008 that his petition was granted. The results, which were released in April of 2009, indicated that Evans was not the perpetrator of the crime. He was freed in May of 2009 after almost twenty-three years behind bars. If the Court of Criminal Appeals concurs with the district court’s recommendation to vacate the conviction, Evans will likely become the 40th individual in Texas, and the 20th in Dallas County, to be exonerated by DNA evidence.
