sexual assault

Journalism, News Impact Project

Oregonian’s Reporting Leads to Required Timely Testing of Sexual Assault Kits

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Thousands of untested sexual assault kits that could have solved at least 500 sexual crimes in Portland over the last decade were left on storage shelves. Detectives vowed to fix the issue after the homicide and sexual assault of a 14-year old girl named Melissa Bittler in 2001. However, an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive reporter Maxine Bernstein showed that Portland police failed on the promise to send the untested kits to the state crime lab.

News Impact Project

Detroit Free Press Coverage Helps Overturn Wrongful Rape Conviction, Frees Innocent Man from Prison

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In 2017, a nearly 20-year-old DNA kit was finally tested for a 1997 rape. James Clay was arrested, tried and convicted of the crime and sentenced to 25-50 years in prison. But Detroit Free Press journalist Elisha Anderson’s reporting on the conviction, including interviews with the victim’s family and the victim – who no longer believed Clay was the perpetrator – revealed that there may have been some mistakes made and Clay might not be the guilty party.

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