Condemned Georgia man launches another appeal for DNA tests
Posted November 11, 2019 3:34 pm.
ATLANTA — A Georgia man sentenced to die Wednesday has launched another last-ditch appeal aimed at supporting his claims of innocence.
Lawyers for Ray Jefferson Cromartie filed papers Friday in federal court in Valdosta asking a judge to stop his execution and order DNA testing on crime scene evidence.
Cromartie’s lawyers say such tests would support their claims that another man shot and killed a Thomasville convenience store clerk in April 1994.
Cromartie says co-defendant Corey Clark pulled the trigger. Prosecutors say Cromartie was directly responsible for the death, meaning his conviction could be overturned if he could prove Clark did it.
As part of Cromartie’s appeal, his half-brother now claims he overheard Clark admitting to the killing. The half-brother recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he didn’t know who pulled the trigger.
Jeff Amy, The Associated Press
