RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) – A man convicted in the 1977 rape of a 12-year-old girl was declared innocent and had his conviction vacated, after the Virginia Supreme Court considered DNA evidence and new testimony.It’s a case 10 On Your Side has been following closely for years.
Roy Watford was charged with rape and sodomy in the case, and court documents say two juveniles also participated in the rape. Watford was 18 at the time. As part of a 1978 plea deal, Watford pleaded guilty to rape, and the sodomy charge was dropped.
Decades later in 2010, a state lab analyzed the victim’s rape kit, but was able to develop only a single profile, despite the three attackers. That profile did not match Roy Watford, cutting the likelihood that Watford was involved by one third.
Then, at a recent hearing, two witnesses said they did not see Watford in or near the Portsmouth home where the rape occurred. At that same hearing, the victim said she did not see Watford that day, and did not remember naming him.
Taking all this into account, the State Supreme Court Thursday issued its ruling that Watford is innocent.
Document: State Supreme Court vacated Roy Watford’s conviction
Watford says he pleaded guilty at the urging of his grandfather, who feared that he might spend the rest of his life in prison had Watford been convicted at trial. But Watford never spent any time in prison. When he pleaded to the rape charge, he got ten years probation.
