Inclusion Daily Express -- Governor Grants Washington Full Pardon For 1982 Crimes

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Governor Grants Washington Full Pardon For 1982 Crimes
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
July 6, 2007

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA--Finally.

After 24 years that included being manipulated, held improperly behind bars, coming within days of execution, and continuing to live under fear of being jailed again, Earl Washington Jr. has finally been officially declared innocent of the rape and murder of Rebecca Lynn Williams.

On Tuesday, Governor Timothy M. Kaine wrote and issued an "absolute" pardon of Washington, saying it was "just and appropriate" to do so.

Washington, who has an intellectual disability, had confessed in 1983 to raping and killing 19-year-old Williams the previous year. A short time later, he withdrew his confession, saying he had been misled into confessing. Despite the fact that many details in his confession did not match the crime scene evidence, a jury convicted him and sentenced him to the death penalty.

Washington came within 9 days of execution in 1985 before an attorney volunteered to represent him and appeal his case.

In 1994, Governor L. Douglas Wilder commuted Washington's death sentence to life in prison when DNA tests indicated that semen found at the scene belonged to somebody other than Washington or the victim's husband.

In October 2000, Governor James S. Gilmore III pardoned Washington, leading to Washington's release from prison a few months later. But Gilmore's pardon only meant that he believed a jury would not have convicted Washington of the crimes in light of the new DNA evidence, which pointed to another inmate, Kenneth Maurice Tinsley.

Earlier this year, the state agreed to pay $1.9 million to Washington after a jury found that a state police investigator fabricated evidence that led him to his original confession.

And even though Tinsley has confessed to the crimes, law enforcement officials refused to remove Washington as a suspect.

Kaine's pardon declares that Washington is not guilty.

"It makes me feel good, happy," Washington, now 47, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Washington, who got married after his release, reportedly works for and lives at an assisted living program in Virginia Beach.

Related:
"Ex-inmate's innocence official" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/07/red/0706e.htm
"Earl Washington Jr." (Inclusion Daily Express Archives)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/laws/earlwashington.htm

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