Photo courtesy of Cooley Law School
LANSING - After serving 35 years for a crime he did not commit, Louis Wright was exonerated when Calhoun County Circuit Court Judge Sarah Lincoln set aside his conviction for criminal sexual conduct and breaking and entering. In September, DNA testing established that Wright was not the perpetrator. Wright is represented by Attorney Marla Mitchell-Cichon and the Cooley Law School Innocence Project (Cooley Innocence Project).
“In 1988, there was no credible evidence pointing to Mr. Wright,” said Marla Mitchell-Cichon. “Mr. Wright’s false confession led to a no contest plea and decades of incarceration.” At sentencing, Wright asked to withdraw his guilty plea, but the court denied his request. Mr. Wright has always maintained his innocence.
Through its collaboration with the Attorney General’s Conviction Integrity Unit, the Cooley Innocence Project was able to obtain DNA testing of evidence collected during the original investigation. “I commend the Michigan Attorney General’s Office for agreeing to DNA testing in this case,” Mitchell-Cichon said. ”Without their willingness to test the rape kit evidence, Mr. Wright may never have received justice.” In September 2023, the Michigan State Forensic Science Division (MSP) identified foreign DNA not consistent with Mr. Wright’s DNA profile.
Michigan has had a post-conviction DNA testing law on the books since 2001, but those who pleaded guilty cannot request testing under the statute. House Bill 5271 proposes to change that.
On January 18, 1988, a man broke into a home and sexually assaulted an eleven-year-old girl. Wright quickly became a suspect when an off-duty Albion police officer reported seeing Wright in the neighborhood five hours before the offense. Within 24-hours Wright was taken into custody and the police reported that Wright confessed to the crime. Wright’s interview was not recorded, nor did he write or sign a confession.
The Albion Department of Public Safety found boot prints outside the victim’s home following the assault. Plaster castings were created of those prints. According to police, the boots Wright was wearing at the time of his arrest were “identical” to the boot prints found at the crime scene. However, the MSP determined that the “casts could not have been made by the suspect’s boots.”
The original detective’s report noted that he attempted to collect fingerprints from the victim’s home: “Latent Fingerprint Examination of the exterior and interior of the residence was made with negative results.” However, the MSP was given a fingerprint for analysis and concluded that the print did not match Wright.
Both MSP reports were generated before Wright’s no contest plea on September 30, 1988.
The police did not conduct any identification procedures in the case. There was no photo array or live line-up; the victim was never asked to identify anyone in or outside of court.
The recent DNA testing established that a man other than Wright is the perpetrator. The Calhoun County Prosecutor has committed to reopening the investigation and determining the identity of the true perpetrator.
“I commend the attorneys and investigators in my office, the local agencies, and the Cooley Law School Innocence Project for their hard work,” said Attorney General Dana Nessel.
