Mississippi man gets new trial after 15 years in prison

Arthur Johnson was expected to walk out of a Mississippi courthouse this afternoon after a state judge granted him a new trial due to DNA evidence showing that he didn’t commit a rape for which he has served more than 15 years in prison. Johnson, who is represented by Innocence Project New Orleans Director Emily Maw, was expected to be released on bond after meeting the $2,500 bail while a new trial is pending. His attorneys are asking prosecutors to drop the charges against him rather than seek a new trial.

Read the full story here

. (Delta Democrat Times, 02/25/08)

If charges against Johnson are dropped, he would become the second person exonerated by DNA testing in Mississippi, after

Kennedy Brewer became the first on Feb. 15

.