Innocence Project Written Assignment

Provide answers to the following questions. Remember, to receivefull credit you must answer each of the QUESTIONS OF THE CASE THATFOLLOWS , along with the summary questions.

Case Name (1/2 Page):___________________

1-In ONE complete sentence describe the crimethat occurred in your own words, informed by the Innocence Projectwebsite or as found in your web-based research.

2-What is the status of the case? Has the person convicted ofthe crime been exonerated and if so, by what means?

3-Was human memory accurate or inaccurate in this case?

4-Be sure to describe evidence that you believe supportsyour position.

Summary Questions (1/2 Page):

1-Identify the goals of the Innocence Project.

2-Choose ONE of the cases you’ve alreadysummarized. What features of the situation (i.e., memory forcrime, investigation techniques used, reliance on psychologicalevidence or not) might have impacted the outcome of thatcase?

3-Be sure to reference information you learned in the lab.

4-Now, look back to the Eyewitness Memory Survey you took duringlab. After learning more about false memories and the effect theycan have in real-life situations, did any of your answers changes?Why or why not?

Innocence Project client Dean Cage served nearly 12 years inIllinois prison – and two years in jail awaiting trial – before hewas released and exonerated due to DNA evidence that he didn’tcommit the 1993 rape for which he was serving a 40-year sentence.The Crime On November 14, 1994, a 15-year-old Chicago girl missedher 6:20 a.m. bus to high school and began walking to the subway.It was dark outside, and the girl noticed an African-American manapproaching her. He was wearing a black leather jacket and adistinctive hat with a snap. Seconds later, the man punched her inthe eye and dragged her to the back porch of a nearby house. Oncethere, the man sexually assaulted the girl. He then forced her torub dirt on her body, and he fled the area. The victim ran to anewspaper vendor and called police. Officers responded and took herto the hospital. Her clothes had been torn in the attack and shewas only wearing her winter coat when transported to the hospital.The Investigation The victim was examined at a hospital and a rapekit was collected including her clothing and swabs of her body. Nosperm cells were identified in an initial examination of the swabs.The victim gave a visual description of her attacker to police,saying he was an African-American man between 25 and 30 years old,about six feet tall, with a beard. The next day she helped officerscreate a sketch of the perpetrator. The drawing was circulated inthe community, and about a week later police received a tip that aman matching the sketch worked at a local meat market. Police tookthe victim to the market, where she was asked if the perpetratorwas among the employees. She identified Dean Cage as the attacker.Officers then conducted another lineup at the police station, wherethe victim identified Cage by the sound of his voice. The samedetective who ran the investigation of the rape also handled theeyewitness identification procedures. Cage was arrested on November19, 1994. The Trial For two years after his arrest, Cage awaitedtrial in a Cook County jail cell. A bench trial before Cook CountyCircuit Court Judge Michael Bolan started on October 21, 1996. Thevictim testified that she was 100% sure Dean Cage was theperpetrator, pointing at him in court and saying, “He raped me.”Cage testified that he did not commit this crime and was with hisfiancé at the time of the crime. His fiancé also testified thatthey were together at the time of the crime. The judge convictedCage and sentenced him to 40 years in prison. Post-ConvictionAppeals Cage claimed innocence throughout his 14-year ordeal. Hefiled several appeals, but for years he was rejected at every turn.In 2005, the Innocence Project accepted his case and began to seekDNA tests on evidence from the crime scene. An evidence searchuncovered the rape kit, including swabs collected from the victimat the hospital, and the victim’s clothing. In 2006, the CookCounty State Attorney’s Office agreed to conduct DNA testing in thecase, and testing revealed that there were skin cells from a malecontributor on this evidence. Sensitive Y-STR DNA testing wasconducted on the evidence, isolating the profile of the malesource. The same male DNA profile was discovered on both thevictim’s clothing and the rape kit swab – and this profile did notmatch Cage, proving his innocence of the rape. He was released onMay 27, 2008, after serving nearly 12 years in prison – and twoyears in jail – for a crime he didn’t commit. He reunited with alarge, supportive family in Chicago.