"We are gratified that the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office decided to finally end this wrongful prosecution. Given the new DNA and scientific evidence that dismantles the Commonwealth's case against Mr. Rosa, there is no other just outcome but to exonerate him."
"Rosa was indicted in February 1986 for the December 1985 kidnapping and murder of Gwendolyn Taylor, an 18-year-old nurse's aide. He faced three separate trials and was found guilty in February 1993, court records show. In October 2020, after spending 34 years in prison, Rosa was freed due to the strength of new DNA evidence."
"Prosecutors answered that plea Wednesday, declaring that they lack 'a good faith basis to move forward with the prosecution against the defendant.' After a comprehensive reinvestigation of the case to prepare for the upcoming trial, the Commonwealth determined the evidence was insufficient."
Thomas Rosa Jr., 64, spent over three decades imprisoned for a 1985 murder he maintained he did not commit. Released in 2020 after new DNA evidence emerged, Rosa was freed while courts considered his motion for a new trial. Nearly three years later, a judge vacated his conviction and granted him a new trial. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office formally dropped all charges, citing new forensic testing, lost evidence, and changes in case law as grounds for dismissal. Prosecutors stated they lack a good faith basis to proceed with prosecution, effectively ending the wrongful prosecution that spanned nearly four decades.
Read at Boston.com
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