ST. LOUIS 鈥 狐狸视频 Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore鈥檚 office is reviewing the case of a man who has spent 36 years in prison for a rape he says he did not commit.
Fredrico Lowe-Bey, 63, has claimed for decades he is innocent of the 1988 rape for which he鈥檚 serving a 70-year sentence. And Gore confirmed last week that his conviction integrity unit, which investigates claims of wrongful convictions, is reviewing Lowe-Bey鈥檚 claims.
Lowe-Bey was convicted of jumping out of a car, forcing a woman into an alley and raping her in 狐狸视频. But his attorneys say there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and samples from the woman鈥檚 rape kit that were tested after Low-Bey鈥檚 conviction did not include his DNA.
Prosecutors鈥 case relied heavily on the testimony of the victim, who identified Lowe-Bey as her attacker. But Lowe-Bey鈥檚 attorneys say she was unreliable: She repeatedly talked about her attacker having freckles while Lowe-Bey does not, and her description of the man who raped her and the days leading up to the attack repeatedly changed. She has since died.
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Lowe-Bey also accuses the detectives who arrested him of having a vendetta to pin him with the crime after he was acquitted on a separate drug charge that they investigated.
鈥淚鈥檓 hopefully optimistic,鈥 Lowe-Bey said in an interview from prison. 鈥淚 believe that we鈥檒l be able to show that not only am I being falsely incarcerated by being accused of these crimes but I had some problems with the cops as well.鈥
Lowe-Bey鈥檚 case is one of dozens of cases under review by Gore鈥檚 conviction integrity unit, which he revived about six months after being appointed circuit attorney. On Tuesday, his office will make its first arguments in an innocence claim on behalf of Christopher Dunn, who was convicted in 1991 of a murder he says he did not commit.
Gore鈥檚 predecessor, Kimberly M. Gardner, touted her office鈥檚 dedication to reviewing claims of wrongful conviction and won the release of Lamar Johnson last year after he spent 28 years in prison. But it鈥檚 unclear how many cases were reviewed during her seven years in office.
Gardner pledged to review Lowe-Bey鈥檚 case before she resigned from office last year, said Lowe-Bey鈥檚 attorney, Richard Sindel, but nothing ever came of it.
鈥淭hey dropped the ball,鈥 Sindel said last week.
Sindel said it was a 鈥渟ignificant鈥 step in the right direction to get an audience with Gore and the head of Gore鈥檚 conviction integrity unit, former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice George Draper.
If Gore agrees to take the case, he will file in 狐狸视频 court to vacate Lowe-Bey鈥檚 conviction. A hearing would then be held in which a judge would evaluate the evidence and make a determination.