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Man Exonerated By DNA Faces New Murder Charge

An undated photo of Andre Davis provided by the Illinois Department of Corrections before his release in July 2012 on exculpatory DNA evidence. Davis is now facing a new murder charge.
Uncredited
/
AP
An undated photo of Andre Davis provided by the Illinois Department of Corrections before his release in July 2012 on exculpatory DNA evidence. Davis is now facing a new murder charge.

A man who spent 32 years behind bars for rape and murder before DNA evidence exonerated him in 2012 is facing a new murder charge in Chicago for allegedly cutting a man's throat.

Andre Davis is being held without bond after being charged with murder and kidnapping in the death of Jamal Harmon, 19.

Prosecutors say Harmon "got into a dispute with Davis' nephew over money lost in a dice game. Assistant State's Attorney Robert Mack said the nephew shot and wounded Harmon, and that Davis later cut the man's throat and dumped his body in an alley," according to The Associated Press.

The Sun-Times Media Wire says an autopsy found that Harmon died of multiple stab and gunshot wounds.

Davis, 52, was convicted of the 1980 rape and murder of a 3-year-old in downtown Rantoul in east-central Illinois.

The Sun-Times wire says: "DNA evidence overturned his conviction and he was released from prison in July 2012. Prosecutors did not retry him, claiming it would have been too hard to bring a 32-year-old case to trial."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.