An Alabama death row inmate’s murder conviction has been called into question by recent forensic tests that show another man’s DNA on the victim’s body. Decades after he was originally found guilty and sentenced, a federal judge ordered a new trial for Christopher Barbour in a ruling last week.
Barbour, ow 56, was convicted in the 1992 deadly stabbing of Thelma Bishop Roberts in Montgomery. His confession, in which Barbour admitted to helping another man rape Roberts before killing her, was a key part of the state’s case against him. But court documents show he later recanted and has long said that police coerced him into confessing, with Barbour’s former legal counsel alleging a detective physically assaulted Barbour in order to do that. Barbour has maintained his innocence since recanting.
New DNA testing done in 2021 revealed that semen on the victim’s body belonged to Roberts’ neighbor, who is currently incarcerated for a different, unrelated murder…