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Man to be released from Galesburg prison today after DNA evidence raises doubts about conviction

GALESBURG, Illinois– Two Chicago men who claim they were wrongly convicted decades ago are about to be released from prison Monday. One has been serving t...
Darryl-Fulton-and-Nevest-Coleman-Illinois-Department-Corrections

GALESBURG, Illinois-- Two Chicago men who claim they were wrongly convicted decades ago are about to be released from prison Monday. One has been serving time in Galesburg.

Nevest Coleman has spent the past 23 years behind bars at Galesburg's Hill Correction Center. Now, he's set for release Monday, November 20th, after DNA evidence caused his conviction to be overturned.

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Coleman and  Darryl Fulton have been serving time for a 1994 rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman. They were convicted after confessing to a team of detectives who had a history of misconduct. No physical evidence ever linked them to the crime.

DNA testing from August suggests they did not commit the crime, and a judge ordered the convictions overturned.

Coleman's attorney Russell Ainsworth says his client was literally an altar boy with no criminal history, working full-time, when he was arrested. "In the case of Nevest Coleman," Ainsworth says. "The true perpetrator went on to commit three other rapes while Nevest sat behind bars for a crime he did not commit."

Although Coleman and Fulton are expected to be released November 20th, prosecutors could still retry the men. But once the full DNA results are analyzed, they are expected to drop the case completely.

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