By Jeff Carlton
Associated Press
DALLAS — A Texas judge has ordered DNA testing on a strand of hair that was the only physical evidence linking a death row inmate to the murder for which he was executed 10 years ago.
This is the second time in a year the guilt of an inmate executed in Texas has been questioned. In April, a state panel renewed its review of an arson finding that led to the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was convicted of killing his three children.
Texas also has had a string of DNA exonerations in non-death penalty cases.
In the latest case, Judge Paul C. Murphy ordered DNA testing Friday on a strand of hair that helped prosecutors convict Claude Jones of capital murder in the 1989 shooting death of a liquor store owner. Jones, who maintained his innocence, was executed in 2000.