July 2016

On June 28, 2016 I got a letter from the Georgia Innocence Project telling me of the testing results. The evidence was found by two college students in summer 2015 at the District Attorney office in a box. They found a manila envelope with a white robe belt and a black tie that was used to tie up the victim.

The State has been saying for 36 years that all evidence had been destroyed. In 2011 court hearing, I was arguing that there was semen evidence found on the victim’s bath robe that didn't belong to me. The State stated in court that they determined that the semen evidence belonged to the victim’s husband. (In trial this semen belonged to Johnny Gates…) I was arguing the white male blond pubic hair that was found in the State court 2011. Said that the hair belong to the victim husband.

Last year December 2015 the State said that they had this evidence in 2003, when we (my lawyers Ronald J. Tabak, George H.Kendall, Gary Parker, Laura Fernandez and I). were trying to find any evidence from the crime. The State fought really hard to get the court to end this fight, but my lawyers would not back down; only fight harder. The state, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Columbus Police Department, the District Attorney office, all said that the evidence had been destroyed that nothing is left.

The test result from the evidence that was found last year in the District Attorney office:

“There is a mixed sample of DNA that came from at least three individuals. We have requested the raw DNA data from the GBI, so that a defense expert can review it. The GBI report also says that due to the complexity of the mixtures, the DNA profiles obtained from the items are not eligible for entry into the DNA database.”

I never believed that they would come out and say that this is not Johnny Gates’ DNA. Not after all these years of fighting me and saying that it is me. But they do know that it is not that of me. If I had been white or had money I would have been set free already, but poor and black? No justice... No knew court date has been set yet.