CrimeViral online -
Just twenty two years old at the time of his conviction, former Marine, Kirk Bloodsworth is the first person to have been sentenced to death, and then exonerated thanks to DNA testing. Bloodsworth served nine years of his sentence for the murder and rape of a nine year old girl – two of which were spent on death row.
Eye-witnesses described the perpetrator as 6 feet 5, blond and skinny, Bloodsworth however, is six feet tall, was heavily over-weight, and had red hair. In addition, there was no physical evidence tying him to the crime. On retrial, the death sentence was reduced to two life sentences. In the 90s, the advent of DNA testing resulted in his release from jail. He was not exonerated until 2003 when the real killer was identified by DNA evidence added to the federal database. CrimeViral online report ‘10 Miscarriage of Justice that Shocked the World’