Wrongly Convicted Database

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Michael Blair

Years Imprisoned:	15
Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	Death
Year Convicted:	1994
Year Cleared:	2008
Location of Trial:	Texas
Result:	Judicially Exonerated (either after completion of sentence or while released on appeal)
Summary of Case:	Wrongly convicted of the 1993 molestation and murder of 7-year-old Ashley Estell. Michael Blair was sentenced to death. In November 2006 Collin County re-opened its investigation into the case, assigning it to a cold case squad. The investigation eventually identified that another man, identified as Suspect 4, could have committed the crime. After a DNA test of hair evidence excluded Blair, the County prosecutor did not oppose Blair's motion for a new trial. On June 25, 2008 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Blair's conviction and ordered a new trial. The County was expected to dismiss the charges against Blair, but the other suspect cannot be tried, because that man died in the late 1990s. Blair had spent 14 years on death row. He wasn't immediately released because of other convictions.
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	DNA tests unavailable at the time of his trial excluded him, while identifying another man as the perpetrator.
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Found?
Age When Imprisoned:	23
Age When Released:
Information Source 1:	Collin County agrees to retry Michael Blair, The Plano Star, June 25, 2008
Information Location 1:	http://www.planostar.com/articles/2008/06/25/plano_star-courier/news/35.txt
Information Source 2:	Appeals court overturns Michael Blair's conviction in Ashley Estell case, Dallas Morning News, June 25, 2008
Information Location 2:	http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/crime/stories/062608dntexmichaelblair.3a57ef80.html
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Ethnicity/Skin:	White
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Michael Blair

Years Imprisoned:

15

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Death

Year Convicted:

1994

Year Cleared:

2008

Location of Trial:

Texas

Result:

Judicially Exonerated (either after completion of sentence or while released on appeal)

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

DNA tests unavailable at the time of his trial excluded him, while identifying another man as the perpetrator.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Found?

Age When Imprisoned:

23

Age When Released:

Information Source 1:

Collin County agrees to retry Michael Blair, The Plano Star, June 25, 2008

Information Location 1:

http://www.planostar.com/articles/2008/06/25/plano_star-courier/news/35.txt

Information Source 2:

Appeals court overturns Michael Blair's conviction in Ashley Estell case, Dallas Morning News, June 25, 2008

Information Location 2:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/crime/stories/062608dntexmichaelblair.3a57ef80.html

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Ethnicity/Skin:

White

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case:

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