David Brian Sutherlin

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Charge:	Rape
Sentence:	43 months
Years Imprisoned:	1.75
Year Crime:	1985
Year Convicted:	1985
Year Cleared:	2002
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Minnesota
County or Region of Crime:	Ramsey
City of Crime:	St. Paul
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"David Brian Sutherlin was wrongfully convicted of committing a rape in 1985. He was sentenced to 3 years and 7 months in prison. His innocence was discovered when DNA tests initiated by the prosecution excluded him as the rapists. The current prosecutor made light of the wrongful conviction by saying: "I'm not proud that we goofed." The actual rapist has been identified, but he is barred from being prosecuted by the statute of limitations. On November 13, 2002 Ramsey County, MN District Judge Thomas Mott granted a prosecution motion to vacate Sutherlin's conviction. Sutherlin had not begun serving his rape sentence because he was also imprisoned for two unrelated murders, so he was not immediately released from custody."
Conviction Caused By:	Erroneous eyewitness identification by the victim.
Innocence Proved By:	DNA tests initiated by the prosecution excluded David Brian Sutherlin as the rapist and identified the actual rapist from a DNA database.
Defendant Aided By:	Innocence Project NY and Ramsey County's Attorney's Office
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	23
Age When Released:	25
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	Innocence Project database
Information Location 1:	http://www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=116
Information Source 2:	Cringe Factor website making fun of the prosecutor desribing David Brian Sutherlin's 17 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit as a goof.
Information Location 2:	http://www.mplode.com/cringefactor/archives/000154.html
Information Source 3:
Information Location 3:	http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/attorney/press/DNA_exonerates.html
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Information Location 5:
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David Brian Sutherlin

Charge:

Rape

Sentence:

43 months

Years Imprisoned:

1.75

Year Crime:

1985

Year Convicted:

1985

Year Cleared:

2002

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Minnesota

County or Region of Crime:

Ramsey

City of Crime:

St. Paul

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Erroneous eyewitness identification by the victim.

Innocence Proved By:

DNA tests initiated by the prosecution excluded David Brian Sutherlin as the rapist and identified the actual rapist from a DNA database.

Defendant Aided By:

Innocence Project NY and Ramsey County's Attorney's Office

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

23

Age When Released:

25

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

Innocence Project database

Information Location 1:

http://www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=116

Information Source 2:

Cringe Factor website making fun of the prosecutor desribing David Brian Sutherlin's 17 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit as a goof.

Information Location 2:

http://www.mplode.com/cringefactor/archives/000154.html

Information Source 3:

Information Location 3:

http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/attorney/press/DNA_exonerates.html

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: