After spending 27 years in a Texas Prison, The Innocence Project by using DNA helped exonerate James Lee Woodard, who had been incarcerated for a murder he didn't commit.

At a brief hearing prior to his release from a Texas prison on April 29, 2008, State District Judge Mark Stoltz, speaking about James Lee Woodard’s 27-year wrongful incarceration, told Woodard "If we can learn anything from your tragic story, your years behind bars will not be in vain," according to Max B. Baker of the Star-Telegram.

Woodard, 55, was cleared of the 1980 murder of his girlfriend, Beverly Jones, by DNA testing with the help of the Innocence Project. "'I thank God for the existence of the Innocence Project," Woodard told the judge. He said without them, and the efforts of Watkins' office (Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins), "I’d be wasting away in prison,'" Baker said.

Texas Holds Records

As he left the courtroom, Woodard, greeted by the applause of supporters and others outside the court, raised his arms to photographers. Woodard was convicted for the 1980 murder of the 21-year-old Dallas woman, and had been incarcerated longer than any other wrongfully convicted U.S. inmate cleared by DNA testing.

The Dallas man was awarded over $400.000 in damages after becoming the 18th person in Dallas County to have his conviction overturned. According to the Innocence Project, having 18 overturned convictions, makes Dallas County higher than any other county in the United States.

Texas also holds the national high of 31 people that have been exonerated through DNA testing, not including Woodard and at least three others. The four will be added to the official record when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals or Governor Rick Perry formally accepts the ruling of lower courts.

Woodard Professes Innocence

Jeff Blackburn, chief counsel for the Innocence Project of Texas, speaking of Woodard, said, “On the first day he was arrested, he told the world he was innocent ... and nobody listened." In July 1981 Woodard was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Jones, who was found sexually assaulted and strangled near the banks of the Trinity River.

According to Natalie Roetzel, the executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas, Woodard continued to maintain his innocence throughout his time in prison. His filing of six writs with an appeals court and two requests for DNA testing eventually caused the courthouse to close its doors to him. They apparently felt that his pleas of innocence became too repetitive and routine, and they labeled him a writ abuser.

The Innocence Project

Texas Wesleyan University School of Law student, Alexis Hoff, initiated and partially handled Woodard’s case. Baker said, “The case was among about 500 that Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins asked the Innocence Project of Texas to review starting in May.”

The Innocence Project is a legal organization, based in New York, specializing in overturning wrongful convictions. The organization has exonerated 216 wrongfully convicted people. If you or someone you know has been wrongfully convicted of a crime, you can reach the Innocence Project in one of 3 ways:

• Write, Innocence Project, 100 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10011
• Call 212-364-5340
• On the Web at info@innocenceproject.org