Lewis Fogle

Lewis Fogle was imprisoned for a conviction which was eventually vacated after 34 years. Convicted in 1982 for the murder of a 15-year-old girl, Fogle's conviction was vacated on DNA evidence in 2015.[1]

In July 1975, 15-year-old Deann Katherine "Kathy" Long of Cherry Tree, Indiana County, Pennsylvania was raped and murdered by shooting in the head. In March 1981 Police arrested Fogle and alleged that he had raped and killed Long. Fogle was one of four people arrested (Lewis Fogle, his brother Dennis Fogle, Joseph Victor Receskey and John Robert Lynch[2]) at the time in connection with the murder but Fogle was the only person to be tried. Charges against his brother were dismissed because the prosecution violated Pennsylvania's "speedy trial rules" and the cases against Receskey and Lynch were dropped for lack of evidence. There was no physical evidence presented against Fogle at the trial and the prosecution's case was primarily three inmates at the prison where Fogle was incarcerated. They said they had heard Fogle admit to the crime. In 1982, Fogle was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He continued to claim he was innocent and refused to admit to the crimes he was alleged to have committed. Fogle contacted the Innocence Project, who agreed to examine his case. Lawyers for the Innocence Project were able to get semen found on the victim's body tested for DNA, but it did not match Fogle's, which eventually led to his being released from jail and the subsequent dismissal of charges.

The local District Attorney Patrick Dougherty joined in the motion by the Innocence Project lawyers to vacate his conviction and a Senior Judge vacated Fogle's conviction. In August 2015, at the age of 63, Fogle was finally released from prison after serving 34 years in jail.[3] Of the other original suspects, Receskey died in 2010, Lynch's whereabouts were unknown and Dennis Fogle was sentenced in 2010 to 5 to 10 years in jail for sexually molesting a 15-year-old boy.[2] Dougherty said he would try to get DNA samples from Dennis Fogle and Lynch.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Fuoco, Michael A. (August 13, 2015). "After 34 years in prison Indiana County man freed thanks to DNA evidence". Pittsburg Post-Gazette. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 Foreman, Chris (January 11, 2005). "Lawyer seeks way to clear Indiana County man's murder conviction". Pittsburg Trib Live. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  3. ↑ Cates, Paul (August 13, 2015). "With Consent of District Attorney, A Pennsylvania Court Vacates Murder Conviction Based on DNA Evidence Pointing to Innocence". Innocence project. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  4. ↑ Dekok, David (August 13, 2015). "Pennsylvania man's 1982 murder conviction thrown out on new DNA evidence". Thomson Rueters. Reuters. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
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