DNA test frees man convicted of 2 child slayings (sex)

DNA in Murders Frees Inmate After 19 Years

Pool photo by Mike Derer
Tears flowed from Byron Halsey Tuesday after he was exonerated of a murder conviction in Elizabeth, N.J. Vanessa Potkin, one of his lawyers, offered support.

ELIZABETH, N.J., May 15 — A man who served 19 years in prison for the sadistic murders of his companion’s two children walked out of the Union County Courthouse flanked by his family members after a judge vacated his convictions on Tuesday.
Prosecutors contended that DNA evidence in the case would probably change the mind of the jury that convicted the man, Byron Halsey, 46. They also said that the DNA evidence pointed instead to Cliff Hall, a neighbor who testified against Mr. Halsey at his 1988 trial and who is currently in prison for three sexual assaults.
Mr. Halsey, who was handcuffed, sat crying silently during the brief proceeding in Union County Superior Court before Judge Stuart L. Peim.
As he left the courthouse, Mr. Halsey said, “I thank my Lord and savior Jesus for keeping me.”
Asked about his emotional state, he smiled and said, “I don’t want to get in more trouble.” He added, What was done to me was criminal at best.”
Barry Scheck, co-director of the Innocence Project, the Manhattan legal clinic that revived the case, said: “It’s a miracle that Byron is here with us, because if ever there was a case where there was a risk of executing an innocent man, it was this case. Because the facts of the case were so horrible.”>>>cont
LinkHere