DNA Testing Could Change State’s Legal Landscape

Freedom for a man who served nearly 20 years in a Missouri prison for a rape he did not commit came in the form of a DNA test this week. And, there could be fallout for other cases in the state. After serving about 18 years in prison, Larry Johnson went home to St. Louis this week, cleared of rape charges by new DNA evidence. Rich Callahan, the prosecutor from Cole County in Mid-Missouri, favors DNA testing, but he says the testing must be done for the right reason because of the backlog testing everyone would cause. Callahan says every prosecutor wants the best information available, especially in the pre-trial portion of the proceedings and DNA testing can help in some cases. He says many times it’s actually the defenseattorneys who don’t want the DNA testing.