George Rodriguez celebrates two years of freedom

Saturday marks the second anniversary of

George Rodriguez’s

exoneration. Rodriguez, who was wrongfully convicted of rape and kidnapping, served 17 years of his 60-year sentence before DNA testing proved his innocence. His wrongful conviction was based largely on faulty analysis of hair and other biological evidence by the Houston Police Department crime lab.

The faulty forensic testing involved in Rodriguez’s case helped bring to light the unsound practices of the Houston crime lab. In 2002, all DNA testing at the lab was stopped after an audit raised questions about the integrity of the lab’s work. Following Rodriguez’s exoneration, a more thorough probe into the lab’s practices began. This examination revealed over 400 cases in which lab work was flawed.

Read more about the recent audit of the Houston crime lab

.

Other exoneration anniversaries this week:

Today:

Frederick Daye

, California (Served 10 years, Exonerated 9/27/1994)