Keith Harward Free in Virginia

In April, the Virginia Supreme Court ordered the release of Keith Harward after DNA tests proved his innocence of a 1982 rape and murder. Harward, who was represented by the Innocence Project and a team of lawyers from Skadden that included MAIP Board member Don Salzman, was convicted based on bite-mark evidence and blood-typing testimony that ignored test results excluding Harward as the perpetrator. As a result, the Virginia Department of Forensic Science (DFS) is moving forward to review old blood-typing cases to make sure there are not other convictions based on such flawed testimony. MAIP is working closely with DFS and other partners to ensure that the review proceeds as smoothly and quickly as possible.