Innocence Project of Texas Seeks New Legislation on Wrongful Convictions
By: Danielle Todesco
Updated: February 9, 2009
After more than two decades, the family of a Lubbock man heard the news they've been waiting for. Timothy Cole was cleared of the rape of a Texas Tech student, years after he died in prison.
Sunday, one of the lawyers from the Innocence Project of Texas spoke about their tireless efforts to find justice for Cole.
Natalie Roetzel says now that they have the judge's opinion on Cole's innocence, they'll seek a formal pardon from Governor Perry and try for reformed legislation on wrongful convictions.
Timothy Cole was convicted of raping the student in 1985. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, though he always maintained his innocence. Cole died in prison in 1999. Since then, another prisoner confessed to the crime, and DNA tests have cleared Cole of the crime.
Cole's family was in an Austin courtroom with the victim of the rape, Michelle Mallin. Mallin met her real rapist, Jerry Wayne Johnson Friday as he testified in court admitting and apologizing for the rape. Cole's is the first posthumous exoneration ever in Texas.
