"He didn't act like someone who was unjustly accused."
Robert Lazzaro, one of two prosecutors of Kirk Bloodsworth, who was convicted of raping and murdering a 9-year-old girl, Dawn Hamilton, July 25, 1984.
Kirk Bloodsworth was convicted twice of the 1984 rape and strangulation death of 9-year-old Dawn Hamilton outside of Baltimore. He was sentenced to death. His appeals were denied. The justice system works.
A lot of people were confident in Bloodsworth's guilt, including the prosecutors who, even after DNA evidence had cleared Bloodsworth, asserted that he must have done it. He still must have done it. Well, he could have done it. Case closed.
Now every prosecutor will tell you that suspects will concoct remarkably preposterous stories to try to escape responsibility for their crimes. How is this for preposterous? Dawn must have left her panties in a clothes hamper where they came into contact with her father's underwear, which might have had semen stains on them, which explains the wrong DNA, and then she might have put them on again without waiting for them to be washed, so the DNA sample is irrelevant. Bloodsworth is still guilty.
Amazing. It must be very difficult for any person to admit responsibility for putting the wrong man behind bars for a heinous crime for 9 years. How nice for Kirk Bloodsworth to know that reputable justice officials continue to assert you might have done it, as you try to rebuild your life.
Bloodsworth is now a fisherman-- he owns a boat and works hard for a living. His taxes help pay the salaries of the Baltimore district attorney.
So it must have been eating away at him for some time, until the police recently found the real killer. If DNA doesn't match the suspect, of course, there is always a possibility that the real match can be found. It was found. Kimberly Shay Ruffner was a perfect match. Bloodsworth knew Ruffner-- they had served some time together (Ruffner was in prison on other charges at the time). Bloodsworth was the librarian in prison and sometimes delivered books to Mr. Ruffner.
For the rest of us, a lesson to be learned. Study innocent men. Learn how they behave. Make sure, if you are ever charged with a crime, that you know how to put on the right act, so it cannot be said of you:
He didn't act like he was unjustly accused.
Copyright 2003 Bill Van Dyk All rights reserved.