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Article Title

DNA on Trial

Abstract

In March 4, 1974, a nine-year-old boy was raped in his home in Lake Wales, Florida. When the police arrived, the boy described his assailant as possibly 17 or 18 years old with a mustache and thick sideburns and named “Jim” or “Jimmy.” After being identified in a photograph lineup by the victim, Jimmy Bain, who said that he was at home watching television with his sister, was arrested and charged with child sex abuse, kidnapping, and burglary/unlawful entry. During the trial, the prosecutors relied on both the photograph lineup and semen that had been found at the scene. The analyst identified that the semen came from a person with Type B blood, but Bain had Type AB blood. However, because the analyst said that Bain’s blood type was a weak A, he could not be excluded from the list of suspects. He was eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison based on shoddy forensic science.

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