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Patricia Lykos, District Attorney
Jim Leitner, First Assistant
Harris County, Texas
July 29, 2010
Contact:
Donna Hawkins
George Flynn
(713) 755-3320
Media Advisory:
Hearing Reset to 10 a.m. Friday to Release Inmate Cleared by DA’s Efforts
Houston Tx – The state 185th District Court has reset a hearing to 10 a.m. Friday (July 30) to consider releasing Michael Anthony Green, the prison inmate who was cleared of a 1983 aggravated sexual assault after an extensive investigation and DNA testing initiated by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Green, 44, was originally scheduled for a hearing today (Thursday, July 29) to have a bond set to secure his freedom after having served 27 years of a 75-year prison term on his conviction. The new setting came after concerns were expressed over his condition – Green was described as emotionally overwrought and suffering from anxiety as he neared his expected release from confinement after more than a quarter-century in prison.
Green had sought assistance from the District Attorney’s Office in his crusade to prove he was wrongfully convicted. District Attorney Lykos referred his case to the Post Conviction Review Section, which she set up to evaluate claims of innocence. Members of that section of the DA’s Office began an exhaustive investigation, interviewing several people and ultimately discovering the DNA-laden jeans worn by the victim at the time of the assault. DNA testing on the jeans cleared Green and identified the predators who committed the sexual assault, although the statute of limitations has expired on charging them.
Green’s conviction occurred before DNA testing became available.
The Friday hearing is expected to lead to the release of Green while the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals would consider overturning the conviction and sentence.
(For more information regarding the case, please see the previous news release, or view it on the District Attorney’s Office Website at www.harriscountyda.com )
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