In June 1981, an intruder entered a home in Shreveport, Louisiana, where three girls – aged 10, 9, and 7 – were sleeping. The 10-year-old victim awoke and saw a man standing above her, naked except for a cowboy hat. The attacker choked her and banged her head against the wall. The victim was able to escape and ran from the intruder, but was caught in the front yard, where a struggle ensued.
The victim’s mother came to pick up the victim the next morning and the police were summoned when it was clear to her that her daughter was incoherent. Investigators noted that the victim’s face was bruised and that she was obviously in pain. The police officers that responded to the call testified that the victim was not able to provide an intelligible description of the assailant.
The victim was taken to the hospital where a rape kit and fingernail scrapings were collected. The police collected the panties and nightgown that the victim was wearing, as well as the bedspread and a pair of men’s size 40 boxer shorts found on the arm of the couch. The boxer shorts had not been there before the crime occurred...
...In 1998, Willis’ case was accepted by the Innocence Project. Evidence was located and the nightgown, rape kit (including fingernail scrapings), and boxer shorts were submitted to Forensic Science Associates for testing. Though no viable biological material was identified on the nightgown, results were obtained from samples found on the boxer shorts and the fingernail scrapings.
Testing of the material found several DNA samples. Importantly, the profile of the male contributor to the fingernail scrapings was compatible with the male profile from the blood stain mixture on the boxer shorts and one of the male profiles from the sample found on the fly section of the boxer shorts. Willis was excluded from being a contributor to any of the samples.
On September 18, 2003, he was released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola and was greeted by his family and long-time advocate, Janet Gregory. As he said shortly after his exoneration, “It feels wonderful…I waited a long time.”