Kirk Bloodsworth

Kirk Bloodsworth would make national news as being the very first man to be exonerated from his murder conviction by DNA testing. A former Marine, Bloodsworth had been honorably discharged from his military duties and go back home to Maryland to work as a waterman and fisherman. Then in 1985, he would be convicted of rape, as well as first-degree murder of a 9-year old girl in Rosedale, Maryland.

People Claimed They Saw Him

During his trial, more than 5 people would claim that they had seen him with the victim before her rape and murder. And despite his continuous insistence that he was innocent, he was still found guilty and sentenced to two life sentences. But knowing that he was innocent, Bloodsworth worked to get the physical evidence from the victim’s underwear tested via DNA to see if it was truly a match to his own. The results, of course, would come back as a negative match for Bloodsworth, proving that he was, in fact, innocent of the pre-meditated death and rape of the young girl.