Did Texas Execute an Innocent Man?

DNA testing is moving forward in the case of Claude Jones, who was executed in 2000 in Texas for a murder he always said he didn't commit. The Innocence Project has sought DNA testing in the case for years, and this month a Texas judge ordered the state to preserve the evidence so testing can proceed. The tests, on a hair from the crime scene, could prove whether the perpetrator was Jones or another man.

A recent feature in Time Magazine explored the Jones case, which could potentially be the first time a person has been proven innocent through DNA after being executed. Prosecutors had sought to dismiss the case and destroy the evidence, but the court decision means it could be tested within 60 days.

"We have said all along that this case is about a search for the truth and the public's right to know. We are very pleased that the court agrees with this objective," Innocence Project  Co-Director Barry Scheck said following the court's ruling.

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