George Garfinkle, 72, used DNA evidence to free Massachusetts man

George Garfinkle, the attorney whose tireless efforts led to Eric Sarsfield’s exoneration in Massachusetts, died on Monday in his home. He was 72.

Garfinkle, an architect and civil engineer before he became a lawyer in his 50s, took on Sarsfield’s appeal pro bono in the 1990s.

When he first took the appeal, he initially thought it was a routine motion that would take an afternoon to write. Then he saw the signs of Sarsfield’s innocence. Several years later, Garfinkle located the DNA evidence that would lead to his client’s exoneration and he called to tell him the news.

"It's a life very well lived, “ Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck told the Boston Globe. “To do all those different things, how could you not admire that?"

Read the obituary here

. (Boston Globe, 08/31/2007)

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