James was charged with and later convicted of the 1985 strangling death of 54-year-old Del Pascavis. ... Key to the case was a confession James signed in four different places with the understanding that if he signed he could go home. James did not write the confession, and James could not read. There was no attorney or parent present for the underage boy. Reasonable doubt was never established, his backers argue. ...

The [Innocence Project] believed DNA evidence would prove James' innocence, but DNA from the case was allegedly improperly stored and could not be tested. There neither is or ever was DNA evidence that pointed to James as the murderer.

Frequent exonerations by DNA should be a wake-up call to the criminal justice system. Even when juries find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, they are often wrong. No conviction should be based on a "confession" signed by a minor who can't read and who was promised he could go home if he just signed the paper. The state's failure to preserve DNA evidence should be reason enough, under these circumstances, to free Alphonso James.