Three Pennsylvania men who have spent decades in prison for rape and murder of ... trends now
Three Pennsylvania men who were imprisoned for decades in the 1997 slaying of a 70-year-old woman - despite their DNA never matching that found at the scene - have had their convictions overturned by a judge.
The Delaware County judge threw out the convictions for Derrick Chappell - who was 15 when he was arrested - and first cousins Morton Johnson and Sam Grasty. The District Attorney is now reviewing the case to see if a new trial is necessary.
Chappel, Johnson, and Grasty were each convicted in separate trials for the murder of Henrietta Nickens, a 70 year old woman who was brutally killed at her home in Chester, Pennsylvania, on October 10, 1997.
Nickens was savagely beaten and had had her underwear removed. Investigators found her home ransacked and blood on the walls and bedding.
A mysterious green jacket, in the pocket of which was cocaine, was found on top of Nickens' television set.
Chappel (pictured), Johnson, and Grasty have been in prison for decades, after they each were convicted in separate trials for the murder of Henrietta Nickens, a 70 year old woman
After more than 20 years in prison, and multiple petitions for a retrial, a Pennsylvania judge finally granted their request. Pictured: Morton Johnson
DNA recovered at the scene of Nickens' murder did not belong to any of the three individuals. Pictured: Samy Grasty
Investigators discovered semen in the woman's rectum. They tested the semen and found that it didn't belong to any of the three arrested individuals.
The prosecutors, who have been characterized as pugnacious, sought to separate the recovered semen from the crime. They affirmed that the semen might have originated from consensual intercourse and was unrelated to the murder.
Nickens had been chronically ill and had no known sexual partners.
The prosecution's case against Chappel, Johnson, and Grastly hinged on the testimony of key witness Richard McElwee, who was 15 years old at the time of the crime.
McElwee testified that he functioned as a lookout while the three older boys pilfered Nickens of $30.
In exchange for his testimony, McElwee pled guilty to third-degree murder, as well as other charges. He was sentenced to serve six to 12 years in prison in 1999.
In 2000 and 2001, Chappel, Johnson, and Grasty were each convicted of second-degree murder, and they were sentenced to life in prison.
Over the course of their more than two decades-long prison stint, the three men have continued to protest their innocence.
Each of them filed pro se petitions in federal court over the years saying they were wrongly convicted, but their petitions were denied.
The fate of Chappel, Johnson, and Grasty drew the attention of many organizations dedicated to freeing wrongly convicted men and women.
The prosecution's case in the early 2000s rested on the testimony of a 15-year-old boy who said he acted as a lookout for the three older boys. Pictured: Chappel
The three prisoners, who are all now in their 40s, have continued to receive the support of loving family members. Pictured: Sam Grasty
Chappel received help from the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and some pro bono legal services from law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon.
The Innocence Project provided support to Johnson, and Grasty received aid from Centurion.
The three men, who are now all in the 40s, were also buoyed by the 'Chester Trio,' a group of family members who are unwavering in their support for their relatives.
Last year, the Pennsylvania men's case received renewed attention after Timothy Palmbach, a forensics expert who also testified at Alex Murdaugh's trial, changed the trajectory of the case with his testimony.
Palmbach testified that new DNA evidence, particularly a mixture of the unknown man's semen, Nickens' blood, and urine on her bedsheet, showed that the violent assault of the victim and the sex occurred simultaneously.
This undermined a key part of the prosecution's
