Nashville, TN – Renowned civil rights attorney Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, is set to spearhead a press conference on May 1, 2019, alongside April Alley, daughter of the late Sedley Alley, to announce a significant new effort: seeking post-mortem DNA testing in Mr. Alley’s controversial case. Despite requests from Mr. Alley during his trial, DNA testing was denied, and he was subsequently executed by the state of Tennessee in 2006. Intriguingly, the Tennessee Supreme Court later reversed the decision to deny DNA testing, doing so five years after Mr. Alley’s death, highlighting the profound questions surrounding the case. Mr. Scheck, a leading voice for justice and forensic accuracy, will elaborate on crucial new developments that have prompted this renewed legal filing, underscoring the enduring quest for truth in a case where critical evidence has remained untested.
The press conference will feature a panel of key figures deeply involved in advocating for justice and shedding light on potential wrongful convictions. Joining Barry Scheck will be April Alley, representing her father’s estate, and Vanessa Potkin, the Director of Post-Conviction Litigation at the Innocence Project, bringing her extensive expertise in legal strategy. Adding powerful voices from personal experience, Ray Krone, an exoneree from death row and co-founder of Witness to Innocence, and Sabrina Butler-Smith, also exonerated after a wrongful death row conviction, will participate. Their presence emphasizes the human cost of potential miscarriages of justice. Legal perspectives will be further enriched by Kelly Henry, Supervisor of the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Defender’s Office, who served as appellate counsel for Mr. Alley, and Stephen Ross Johnson, a Tennessee attorney with local legal insight.
The central focus of the press conference is the formal Petition for Post-Conviction DNA Testing, representing a critical juncture in the pursuit of justice for Sedley Alley. The event is scheduled for May 1, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. Central Time, and will take place in The Gold Room, Lower Level, at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville. For those unable to attend in person, the press conference will be broadcast live on the Innocence Project’s Facebook page, offering broad access to this pivotal moment in the ongoing legal battle.
The Innocence Project, the organization Barry Scheck co-founded in 1992, remains at the forefront of utilizing DNA testing to exonerate the wrongly convicted and advocating for systemic reforms within the criminal justice system. Their continued involvement in the Sedley Alley case underscores their unwavering commitment to uncovering truth and preventing future injustices.
