A man sentenced to death for a 1998 murder is now free, two years after the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the conviction. The Oregon Innocence Project on Wednesday accused the state of committing a “heinous injustice” in its handling of the case. The Marion County District Attorney's office on Tuesday asked the Marion County Circuit Court to dismiss the case against Jesse Johnson, saying that “based upon the amount of time that has passed and the unavailability of critical evidence in this case, the state no longer believes that it can prove the defendant's guilt.”
Johnson’s release coincides with the exoneration of a New York man, who was officially cleared of a 1976 rape conviction, marking the longest-standing wrongful conviction overturned based on new DNA evidence in U.S. history, as stated by the Innocence Project.
Governor would gain temporary authority to designate large industrial sites, which advocates say are needed, but critics argue would threaten farmland.