This Week in Innocence News – May 12, 2017

Here are some of this week’s news highlights:

Indiana man becomes 350th DNA exoneree:
Innocence Project client William Barnhouse became the 350th person to be exonerated by DNA in the United States after Indiana prosecutors announced they would dismiss rape charges against him on Wednesday. Barnhouse was released in March after 25 years in prison. Read more

Kansas to require recorded interrogations:
This week, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill into law requiring the recording of custodial interrogations for homicide and felony sexual offenses by Kansas law enforcement agencies. Read more

The Innocence Project responds to Virginia’s request to dismiss actual innocence petition:
The Innocence Project filed a brief in the Virginia Supreme Court on Thursday in response to the state attorney general’s request to dismiss a petition for a writ of actual innocence for client Sherman Brown. Brown has been in prison since 1970 for a murder DNA proves he did not commit. The Richmond Times-Dispatch

Man wrongfully convicted at 14 challenges Mississippi compensation law:
Tyler Edmonds, who was exonerated in 2008 after spending years in prison for the murder of his brother-in-law, is fighting for compensation from the state of Mississippi. The state’s current statute bars those who falsely confessed from being compensated for the years they spent unjustly behind bars. NBC News