Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wants to accelerate the release of Thomas Haynesworth, who has served more than 25 years in prison for crimes prosecutors say he did not commit.
DNA testing has already cleared Haynesworth of one rape, but Cuccinelli is supporting Haynesworth’s petition for a “writ of actual innocence,” a state statute that allows prisoners to present new evidence of their innocence. Lawyers are trying to clear Haynesworth’s other convictions on rape and abduction charges.
In court papers filed with the Virginia Court of Appeals, Cuccinelli asks that the writ be issued quickly and Haynesworth’s convictions erased.
