Since the Making A Murderer docu-series hit Netflix, more and more cases are being coming to light where a suspect was wrongly convicted.
The story of Steven Avery – who was convicted of rape and freed by DNA evidence 18 years later – caught the attention of everyone and has since led TO post-conviction hearings and the release of many innocent people.
One of those was Darryl Pinkins. He spent almost a quarter of a century behind bars after being wrongly accused of gang rape, but he has now been released.
The 63-year-old was 38 when a jury convicted him in a 1989 case of the gang rape of a woman in Gary, Indiana.
Finally, after several lost appeals and 25 years behind bars, Pinkins was released from Lake County Jail in Crown Point. Similar to Avery, it was new DNA evidence which led to his release.
His lawyer said that the new analysis conclusively excluded his client’s DNA from the profiles of the rapists.
Pinkins – a father of four and steel mill worker – was with his friend Roosevelt Glenn on the day of the rape. Their vehicle had broken down and while they were trying to find help their coveralls were stolen from their car.
At around the same time, a woman was gang-raped by five men and coveralls were left at the scene.
Despite the fact that neither Pinkins or Glenn’s DNA was not present at the scene, they were still convicted and sentenced.
Even though Pinkins wrongly served 25 years in prison, he said he was not bitter about what happened and was simply looking forward to life ahead of him.
