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in 1996
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a serial rapist preyed on women young
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and old in south bend indiana
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eventually three victims identified the
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same man as the perpetrator
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but what happens when the forensic
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evidence points to one man
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while the victims are pointing to
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another
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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throughout the spring and summer of 1996
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police were investigating four sexual
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assault and burglary cases in the river
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park section of south bend indiana
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all of the crimes occurred on weeknights
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between 8 and 11 pm and the descriptions
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of the assailant were the same
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he was described as a young black male
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between 16 and 25 years of age about
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five foot eight inches tall with a thin
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build
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one of the homes broken into belonged to
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this woman who was asked not to be
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identified
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it had rained it had stormed and i was
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in bed
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[Music]
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she says the perpetrator kicked in the
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door while she was asleep
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[Music]
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she says she didn't get a good look at
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him since during the assault he covered
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her eyes with a shirt
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first thing he said to me was
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[ __ ] i want your money
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in this case he assaulted her locked her
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in a closet then stole her automobile
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but he was clever and left behind very
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few clues
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he wore gloves so he wouldn't leave
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fingerprints and he wore a hood or mask
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to conceal his identity
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i just tried to remember just do what he
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tells you to do and you'll be all right
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and i was
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detectives sergeants sergeant cindy
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eastman and ann shellinger were
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investigating the crimes
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there's nothing more stressful
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as an investigator than having a serial
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situation taking place because we know
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until we solve this there are going to
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be more victims
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although the victims described the
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assailant similarly his mo or method of
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operation in each case was different
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when we're looking at serial offenders
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usually they stick with what works for
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them they normally carry the same weapon
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they normally approach the victim in the
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same manner
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in some of the cases the perpetrator
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used a knife in others he used a handgun
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sometimes he targeted young women on the
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street and other times broke into the
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homes of elderly women
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in terms of forensic evidence
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investigators had very little
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in one case
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a semen sample
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in another a pubic hair
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but few other clues
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the river park rapists most brazen crime
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happened in july of 1996.
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the victims were a young man and his
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fiancee
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they were having an argument they
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decided to stop the car get out just
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cool off talk it out
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seemingly out of nowhere the assailant
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demanded money at gunpoint
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[Music]
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he struck the young man and took off
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with the woman sexually assaulting her
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in a wooded area nearby
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[Music]
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when the police arrived their canine
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unit armed with the assailant's scent
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identified a trail
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the dog walked past the tree line where
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the assault took place and continued
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into a field
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at the spot where the dog lost the scent
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police noticed bicycle tire impressions
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in the grass raising the possibility
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that he had used a bicycle to make his
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getaway
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[Music]
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police staked out the neighborhood
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looking for men on bicycles who fit the
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assailant's description
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it wasn't long
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before a suspect rode right into their
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trap
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[Music]
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scores of police officers in south bend
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indiana searched the river park area in
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a hunt for the river park rapist
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they were looking for a young black male
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living in the general vicinity of the
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crimes who was using a bicycle as his
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method of transportation
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[Music]
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during a stakeout three months into the
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crime spree a police officer saw a young
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black man matching the victim's
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description riding a bicycle just across
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the street from one of the crime scenes
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the suspect was identified as 31 year
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old richard alexander
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although he had previous brushes with
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the law alexander denied he was the
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river park rapist he claimed he was in
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the wrong place at the wrong time
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i ain't did nothing man
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on my way home i'm the only you know
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everybody in the area
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there's a quiet neighborhood whatever
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you know what i'm saying only black
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going down the street on a brand new
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mountain bike
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they seen him riding his bike late and
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so that's like a scapegoat they go you
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know a black man let's let's throw this
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on him
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a search of alexander's apartment found
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a knife some hoods and bandanas
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at police headquarters investigators
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placed alexander's picture along with
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five others in a photographic lineup and
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asked the couple who had been attacked
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if their assailant was among them
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you don't recognize anyone
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the woman could not identify a subject
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how about you
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that guy this guy here that's the one
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that's him but her fiance did i'm
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absolutely certain
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he looked at the photo array and without
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hesitation pointed to the picture of
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richard alexander as being the suspect
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that robbed them and sexually assaulted
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the victim
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[Music]
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this was the only positive
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identification the other victims
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couldn't say for sure
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but soon
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they would get a second chance
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police arranged for another lineup this
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time with the suspects in person
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once again there were six suspects to
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choose from number six step forward and
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read the lines please
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the first to step onto the stage was
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richard alexander
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reportedly one of the victims
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gassed when they saw him walk out and
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perhaps even cried number three step
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forward and say your mind
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each of the suspects was instructed to
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repeat phrases that the rapist had used
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during his attacks
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[ __ ] i want your money where your car
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keys at
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uh
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don't talk
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uh i want your money
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number six that's him
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after hearing his voice two female
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victims identified alexander as the
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rapist bringing the number of
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identifications to three
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next forensic scientists analyzed the
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pubic care found at one of the crime
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scenes since it didn't have a root it
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could not be used for dna testing
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the only option was to compare it to
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richard alexander's hair visually to see
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if they look similar
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the comparison was inconclusive
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scientists also had a semen sample from
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one of the victims who had been unable
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to identify alexander from the police
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lineup
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when that sample was tested for dna
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it did not match richard alexander
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so he was not charged for that crime
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[Music]
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but he was charged with rape confinement
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burglary and theft in the three other
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cases
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at the trial
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the prosecution failed to make their
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case to the jury
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barbara griffin was one of the 12 jurors
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i've been working public servant for
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since 67
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so i kind of know get a feel for people
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and i just on the first day i got a
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feeling that this man didn't do this
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there were nine white and three black
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nine whites said guilty
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two blacks said
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guilty but of lesser sentence and i said
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not guilty
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so i was the only hold out
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and the jury was hung
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[Music]
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y'all got the wrong person
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four months later
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alexander was tried a second time with
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the jury composed entirely of white men
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and women
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based on the three victims
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identifications
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richard alexander was found guilty of
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two of the three assaults
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he was sentenced to 70 years in prison
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we're just so devastated
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and just depressed because we knew in
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our heart he was innocent i was crying
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you know what i'm saying because the way
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they
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did me you know what i'm saying just
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tucked me off the street took my life
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from me
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barbara griffin could not believe the
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news
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i was so angry
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i was just angry
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i felt like this is another black man
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going to prison i felt that way
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even officer eastman had her doubts
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i was
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sorry and somewhat surprised to hear
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that the jury did convict
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i was very conflicted
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i
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i had my doubts but i could not prove it
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with alexander behind bars police
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assumed the river park rapes were over
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but they were wrong
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had the authorities jailed the wrong man
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[Music]
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richard alexander says the first year in
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prison was the hardest
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but the second third and fourth years
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behind bars weren't a lot easier
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there is a pecking order in prison
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murderers and thieves are held in higher
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regard than child molesters and rapists
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alexander says he saw more violence
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inside the prison than he ever saw
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outside
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i'm afraid now i'm gonna get killed
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y'all seen
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guys get raped
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in the in the shower seen guys get right
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home in the shower taking the shower and
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they got this homosexual in there look
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like a girl you know what i'm saying and
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uh you got about two guys in there so i
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hear every guy out there
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the boys and then knocked out and they
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finally landed in the shower
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they thought it was dead blood
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everywhere
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alexander did what many inmates do he
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wrote letters to everyone he could think
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of proclaiming his innocence and asking
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for another trial
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with no success
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meanwhile the burglaries and sexual
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assaults continued
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this time not in the river park section
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but just a short distance away
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and one of those victims identified
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richard alexander's picture from a photo
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lineup as the assailant you're
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absolutely certain
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even though
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alexander was in prison
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detective ryan harmon was assigned to
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investigate these new cases and noticed
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similarities with the earlier cases
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i didn't investigate the river park
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rapes 1996. so
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i became a lot more familiar with what
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happened back then
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[Music]
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the search for the perpetrator took an
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unexpected turn in april of 2000
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when a man called police to say there
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was a tan cadillac in his driveway and
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there was a burglar inside
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when the intruder saw the homeowner he
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fled on foot
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in the foyer was a clear foot impression
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which was collected for analysis
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in the assailant's car
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police found everything they needed
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i found
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utility bills some receipts different
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pieces of paper that showed michael
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murphy's name on there as well as a
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specific address and apartment number
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a background check revealed michael
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murphy had been implicated for sexually
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assaulting his girlfriend's
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nine-year-old niece
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yeah he touched her what actually
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stopped him from actually
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going through with it was um his pager
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went off she said
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detective harmon interviewed both
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murphy's girlfriend and the little
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girl's mother
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well these two girls just went off two
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hours about all these different types of
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burglaries he had committed michael
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thought he was big and bad and
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thought he was cool what he was doing
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and thinking he getting away with what
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he was doing
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with the search warrant investigators
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discovered a pair of shoes in murphy's
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closet which matched the shoe impression
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at the burglary scene
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murphy's girlfriend gave police some
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pictures of murphy with some of the
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items he had stolen in the burglaries
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when confronted with the evidence
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murphy said little he'd say hey when i'm
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all hyped up on cocaine i need to go out
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and just you know find a girl
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but things like that told me that
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he may be a sex offender
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harmon then called the first
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investigator of the river park rapes to
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ask whether she had ever heard of
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michael murphy
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he had been arrested by me the month
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prior
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so we began working together at that
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point on
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murphy and various other crimes that he
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had been involved in
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when cindy eastman saw the photographs
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given to police by murphy's girlfriend
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she saw an important clue
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in one of the pictures was a chrome and
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glass wall clock stolen during a sexual
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assault in 1997 a crime that richard
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alexander was suspected of committing
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eastman immediately phoned murphy's
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girlfriend
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she immediately said i know exactly what
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you're talking about i remember when he
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came home with it it's hanging on my
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wall do you want it cindy revisited that
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victim and asked her do you have any
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photographs that may depict the same
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clock and she had a photograph of her
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her son during the holidays standing in
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front of this clock
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both detectives began to suspect
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that the real river park rapist wasn't
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richard alexander
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but michael murphy
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they just needed some way to prove it
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[Music]
00:16:12
during richard alexander's trial five
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years earlier the pubic hair found on
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one of the victims could not be tested
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for dna since there was no root material
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on the hair shaft
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but science had changed in the five
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years since alexandra's conviction
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in 1996 forensic scientists began using
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a new test to look for dna in a shaft of
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hair
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the new test was called
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mitochondrial dna
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mitochondrial dna has given us
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tremendous power in forensic casework
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to solve the casework where no other dna
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profile can be obtained
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it exists outside of the cell's nucleus
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although it is not as precise as nuclear
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dna it still can provide much genetic
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information
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technicians clean the hair with chemical
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solutions which purify the dna sample
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[Music]
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the second step is to amplify it or to
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make enough copies to analyze
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the mitochondrial dna from the hair was
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compared to both richard alexander as
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well
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as michael murphy
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the dna from the pubic hair did not
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match richard alexander
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but it did match
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michael murphy
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we determined that at every place that
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we tested these two samples at all on an
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average 800 bases that we compared they
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were identical to each other
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i got the word and it was just
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absolutely exhilarating
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we knew then
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that richard alexander was going to be
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released from prison
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next scientists performed dna testing of
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the second piece of evidence from the
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river park rapes semen from the rape
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test kit in yet another surprise
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the dna did not match michael murphy as
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investigators assumed it would
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the dna profile was then entered into
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the dna database of convicted sex
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offenders in the state of indiana
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and there was another surprise
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it matched a third man
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a convicted sex offender
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mark williams
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it was just unbelievable to get this
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call from the state police lab and there
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we have it we have the two suspects and
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now it all makes sense
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ironically
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richard alexander michael murphy and
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mark williams looked similar
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all three of these pictures
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showed a male black who appeared to be
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within a close age range all three had
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similar musculature and statures
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all three of them had similar
00:19:07
complexions and bone structure and
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they did resemble each other which again
00:19:13
answered the other
00:19:15
mystery in this case
00:19:17
when confronted with the mitochondrial
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dna evidence
00:19:21
michael murphy confessed
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he's just doing nothing but burglarizing
00:19:25
homes every day throughout the whole
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city
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looking back i think he's he's been well
00:19:30
over 200 to 250 that i know of that he's
00:19:32
confessed to
00:19:34
ironically michael murphy and his
00:19:37
girlfriend who knew nothing about the
00:19:39
sexual assaults followed the river park
00:19:41
rape cases on television
00:19:44
one time we were sitting at home
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watching tv and they showed the guy
00:19:49
alexander i made a comment about you
00:19:51
know that's sad
00:19:52
or what he done you know and if he done
00:19:55
it i hope you know i told i said i hope
00:19:57
they kill him
00:19:58
put him under you know and michael so
00:20:00
they ain't gonna find nothing now he
00:20:02
ain't do them rapes
00:20:06
in the face of this new dna evidence
00:20:09
richard alexander was released from
00:20:12
prison after serving five years and four
00:20:15
months for crimes he did not commit
00:20:19
oh it was cheers
00:20:21
everybody stood up and cheered and
00:20:23
hugged him and
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we got in the car and went home
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it was so gratifying to me when
00:20:30
afterward he came up to me
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and i held my hand out but he hugged me
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and he thanked me and that's all that
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needed to be said
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it just solidified all the work you know
00:20:41
it was like going into that card game
00:20:43
when you know you cut a royal flush and
00:20:45
what's going to beat it
00:20:47
it still hurts it still hurts because
00:20:50
really nothing's been done
00:20:52
since i've been out you know what i'm
00:20:53
saying they uh
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i wanted the apology and
00:20:57
you know saying they apologize but
00:20:59
it ain't really nothing i'm saying
00:21:01
taking a man life
00:21:03
five and a half years your life taken
00:21:06
from your family
00:21:08
loved ones kids all that stuff hurts
00:21:10
[Music]
00:21:12
michael murphy was convicted of one
00:21:14
count of burglary
00:21:16
and one count of sexual molestation
00:21:19
he was sentenced to 30 years in prison
00:21:23
mark williams was convicted of one count
00:21:25
of rape and sentenced to 40 years in
00:21:28
prison
00:21:30
[Music]
00:21:34
richard alexander was a victim of
00:21:37
mistaken identity
00:21:39
his innocent bicycle ride passed a crime
00:21:42
scene cost him his freedom
00:21:46
now
00:21:47
science had vindicated him
00:21:51
sometimes
00:21:52
one tiny hair can say more about guilt
00:21:56
or innocence
00:21:57
than a handful of eyewitnesses
00:22:02
[Music]
00:22:30
[Music]
00:22:36
you
