Supporters have raised $50,000 bond money
By Colleen Slevin
Associated Press
DENVER (AP) - A Denver man long declared he did not rape a woman who said his face appeared to her in a dream, but he faced repeated legal and political failures as he fought from prison to prove his innocence.
Clarence Moses-EL, who has served more than half of his 48-year sentence, could be released in the coming days after a man convicted of two other rapes wrote and offered to clear him.
A jury convicted him of the 1987 sexual assault largely based on the testimony of the victim, who initially named the man who later confessed. Moses-EL later won a legal bid for DNA testing on the evidence to clear his name, but police destroyed it a month later. In 2008, the governor, a former Denver prosecutor, quashed legislation that would have granted him a new trial and had overwhelming support from lawmakers.
Moses-EL's decades-long struggle to clear his name has garnered him sympathizers in Colorado. Supporters have raised the $50,000 he needs to post bond and walk free.
Even Denver District Judge Kandace C. Gerdes said as she overturned Moses-EL's conviction Monday that he would likely be acquitted at a new trial. Denver prosecutors have the option of trying him again but want to review the judge's decision and talk to the victim first.
"Without question, we believe the victim in this case, and our biggest concern is for her," said Lynn Kimbrough, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Mitch Morrissey.
The case against Moses-EL had problems from the start.
The victim, who had six broken bones in her face and lost vision in one eye, initially named three men as possible attackers but did not accuse Moses-EL, a neighbor, until more than a day later, after her dream.
James Huff, the investigating detective, expressed doubts about Moses-EL's guilt in a sworn statement filed in 2005.
Still, Moses-EL lost an initial appeal of his conviction, which his attorney called typical. But what happened after that is far from it, O'Connell said.
In prison in the 1990s, Moses-EL spoke openly about his innocence. He persuaded fellow inmates to help him raise $1,000 for DNA testing on the evidence in his case, which wasn't the norm at the time. Famed defense lawyer Barry Scheck offered to lend a hand.
After a series of legal failures, a judge agreed to allow DNA testing on the rape kit, the victim's clothing and other items in 1995. A month later, police threw the evidence in the trash. Huff, the detective, said he didn't see any notice from the district attorney's office to hold on to the evidence.
Moses-EL's legal fight stalled until he got a letter from L.C. Jackson in 2013.
The fellow inmate testified at a court hearing in August that he knew the victim; she was a friend of his girlfriend at the time. Jackson said he hit her after becoming angry during consensual sex.
Jackson's testimony and blood tests that suggested the rapist had a different blood type than Moses-EL would likely lead a jury to clear Moses-EL, the judge said this week.
Published: Mon, Dec 21, 2015
