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U.S.

Texas man freed after more than two decades when DNA clears him of rape

Associated Press
Published | Updated

FORT WORTH, Texas – A North Texas man has been freed more than two decades after he was wrongly convicted of raping a 14-year-old Fort Worth girl.

David Lee Wiggins was convicted in 1989 after the girl picked him out of a photo lineup. He was sentenced to life in prison, but DNA testing earlier this month excluded Wiggins as the person who committed the crime.

Judge Louis Sturns in Fort Worth on Friday freed Wiggins on bond pending his formal exoneration. Tarrant County prosecutors say DNA evidence demonstrated the man's innocence.

Wiggins would be the second person to have a conviction overturned by DNA in Tarrant County since 2001.

The nonprofit Innocence Project says Wiggins will live with a friend he met through his church ministry.