Damon Thibodeaux confessed to raping and killing his 14-year-old cousin and spent more than 15 years on Louisiana’s Death Row, but was cleared by DNA evidence earlier this year and has now been released from prison.
He was the 300th prisoner freed nationwide by DNA tests —18 of whom were on Death Row, according to lawyers from the New York-based Innocence Project.
Crystal Champagne was last seen on July 19, 1996, as she left to go to a local supermarket and never returned. An investigation ensued and her body was found the next evening under a bridge with her pants down and a wire around her neck.
Detectives began interrogating potential witnesses, including Thibodeaux. He insisted he was coerced into giving a false confession after nine hours of interrogation. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1997.
In 2007, Thibodeaux’s legal team persuaded the local district attorney’s office to investigate the case. After thousands of dollars spent on further investigation, which was shared by both sides, DNA testing proved that Thibodeaux was not Crystal’s killer and that she was not raped.
“It feels good. I am still processing it,” Thibodeaux, 38, said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I feel great sympathy for the Champagne family,” he said. He hopes Crystal’s killer “is found and tried.”
“It’s hard to put myself in Thibodeaux’s shoes,” said San Quentin prisoner Frankie Prater. “I cannot comprehend having to go to Death Row knowing that I am innocent.” Prater said that DNA evidence is a good tool for determining innocence. “The truth will always set you free.”
“The criminal justice system has always worked in the system’s favor,” said another San Quentin prisoner, Allen Webb. “They have been doing stuff like interrogating witnesses and coercing them into confessions for years. DNA evidence is great and could have made a big difference many years ago.”
Thibodeaux will receive approximately $250,000 in compensation for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment.
