DNA Clears Mentally Retarded Man Convicted 26 Years Ago at the Age of 15
A mentally retarded man who was convicted of murder at the age of 15 after confessing to the crime has been exonerated by DNA evidence.
Anthony Caravella was convicted 26 years ago in the rape and murder of a 58-year-old woman found dead near an elementary school in Florida, the Associated Press reports. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty.
Caravella was expected to be released today, the Miami Herald reports.
Prosecutor Carolyn McCann said Caravella’s release was “the right thing to do,” according to a separate Miami Herald story. Caravella’s lawyer has said in a court filing that the original prosecutor in the case, Robert Carney, had withheld evidence that raised questions about Caravella’s guilt.
Carney is now a judge in Broward County. He defended the prosecution in an e-mail to the Sun Sentinel.
“Monday morning quarterbacking with information that was not available at the time of trial is not fair criticism,” Carney wrote. “I feel confident that whatever criticisms there were about the handling of this case were brought to the attention of the appellate court and thoroughly litigated as they are in every criminal appeal.”
