Detroit resident Donya Davis, who served nearly seven years behind bars for a wrongful rape conviction, was recently exonerated after post-conviction DNA testing revealed his innocence. Although DNA tests were performed on a rape kit obtained from the victim and Davis’ DNA was not identified, he was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to 22 years in prison solely on the basis of the victim’s identification of him as her attacker. In March 2013, the Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School Innocence Project filed a petition for DNA testing on Davis’ behalf. The post-conviction DNA testing revealed a partial profile of an unidentified male who was not Davis. In June 2014, Davis was released from prison, and in November the prosecution dismissed him of all charges.
While in prison, Davis earned his GED, completed a small business education program, completed a commercial driver’s license course, and earned credits toward a paralegal degree. In his free time, Davis has also studied biology, DNA testing, and its role in criminal convictions.
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