Lynn DeJac

Lynn DeJac Peters was a Buffalo woman whose previous conviction of murder in 1994, was reversed on November 28, 2007 on the basis of DNA evidence.

She had been convicted of murdering her daughter (Crystallynn Girard), on February 13, 1993.[1] According to the Innocence Project, she is the first woman to be exonerated of murdering someone on the basis of DNA evidence. A previous case had involved the reversal of the conviction of Paula Grey, who had been convicted as an accomplice to murder, but was cleared when the conviction of the principals was reversed.[2]

According to her lawyer, she had been convicted of the murder of her daughter based primarily on evidence from a neighbor who said she had subsequently confessed the murder. Many years later, he recanted.[3] There was no physical evidence. The conviction was overturned on the basis of physical evidence linking the murder to her companion, Dennis Donohue, who cannot be tried, however, as he was granted immunity at her trial. He has since been charged with an unrelated murder, also in 1993.[4]

The prosecutor was quoted as planning to retry her for second-degree manslaughter.[5] DeJac's lawyer, Steven M. Cohen[6] represented DeJac in her civil suit against the state of New York and secured a $2.7 million settlement.[7][8]

Death

On June 18, 2014, Lynn DeJac Peters died of cancer, aged 50.[9] According to her attorney and family, the $30 million federal lawsuit against Buffalo and Erie County is going forward.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Judge tosses out conviction, orders new trial; DeJac due back in court", wcax.com; accessed April 10, 2008.
  2. ↑ David Stara. "DNA Evidence Frees a Woman Convicted of Killing Her Daughter", nytimes.com, November 29, 2007; accessed May 16, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Key Witness Against DeJac Recants Testimony", wgrz.com, November 19, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Conversation Continued: What DeJac told 7 News from behind bars", WKBW.com, November 26, 2007.
  5. ↑ Live Interview with Lynn Dejac & What's Next, WIVB.com; accessed May 16, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Steven M. Cohen website". HoganWillig. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  7. ↑ "Lynn DeJac Peters, NY Woman, To Get $2.7 Million For Wrongful Conviction". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  8. ↑ Thompson, Carolyn (2012-11-13). "NY woman to get $2.7M for wrongful conviction". Bigstory.ap.org. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  9. ↑ Carolyn Thompson (2014-06-20). "Lynn DeJac Peters, wrongly convicted of daughter's death, dies at 50". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
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