Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner today released the result of the DNA retesting in the case of Roger Keith Coleman, who was executed in 1992 for the 1981 rape and murder of his sister-in-law, Wanda Fay McCoy. The original DNA testing in the case, done in 1990, indicated that evidence taken from the victim would match DNA shared by Coleman and 2 percent of the Caucasian and African-American populations. The new report from the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto concluded Coleman "cannot be excluded as the source of the major DNA profile on the biological evidence."
According to the report, "The probability that a randomly selected individual unrelated to Roger Coleman would coincidentally share the observed DNA profile is estimated to be 1 in 19 million."
"We have sought the truth using DNA technology not available at the time the commonwealth carried out the ultimate criminal sanction," said Warner. "The confirmation that Roger Coleman's DNA was present reaffirms the verdict and the sanction. Again, my prayers are with the family of Wanda McCoy at this time."
Virginia to Retest DNA of Executed Man
