PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — A Portsmouth court will hold a hearing next month in the case of a man who says he was wrongfully convicted of a rape nearly four decades ago.
Roy Watford III says DNA testing proves he’s innocent of the 1977 rape of a 12-year-old girl.
The Virginia Supreme Court said in January that it needed more information about Watford’s case and ordered the Portsmouth Circuit Court to hold an evidentiary hearing.
The Richmond Times Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/2lAKkCU ) that a hearing in Portsmouth has been set for April 17 and 18.
Watford says he pleaded guilty because his grandfather was scared he’d spend the rest of life in prison if he was convicted at trial. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation.
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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com
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