Innocent Man Spent 20 Years Behind Bars

This case is an example of unheard pleas from an innocent man, who was convicted of sexual assault. Billy James Smith, also known as Lindsey, a 56 year old man was wrongly accused of rape in the year 1986 and spent 20 years in prison.

The morning that turned his life into absolute darkness was August 7, 1986 and on Feb. 5, 1987 he was convicted of rape by the court. Dallas police knocked the door of Billy James Smith’s sister’s apartment on August 7, 1986 early in the morning charging him with rape of a woman. The woman was sitting in the police car when Billy looked down from the apartment’s balcony. In an interview with Dallas Morning News he said “It was like she was saying, 'That's him, that's him, and that was the first time I saw her. The second time I saw her was in court.” This woman alleged Billy of raping her in a field showing her a knife. After she was raped she called her boyfriend and told him about the sexual assualt incident describing the rapist's appearence. Based on the description her boyfriend said he knew a person with similar characteristics. He suspected that the rapist was Billy. Police seized a knife in the living room of Billy, which served as a proof of rape allegation. The rape victim and her boyfriend were presented as eyewitnesses. This false conviction ruined Billy’s life.

Six times he sent written appeals for post-conviction DNA testing to Dallas district clerk and Dallas court but never heard back. He was finally granted DNA testing in the year 2005. The tests proved that he had served nearly 20 years for a rape he did not commit. He was INNOCENT. This makes him the 20th Dallas County man proven innocent by DNA testing since 2001. Only if the legal system had heard his plea earlier he wouldn’t have wasted 20 miserable years behind bars. In an interview by Cynthia Hall Clements for “The Texas Observer” Billy said “wake up every day and go through the rugged schedule, the dangers of prison life, knowing nobody is going to believe you.” He talked about the gangs, drugs, violence, and the prostitution, heterosexual and homosexual, he encountered in prison. “It’s not an atmosphere, a place, for the emotionally or physically weak. Only the evil and its doers survive, and maybe an innocent or two.”

Billy James Smith, a victim of misidentification and false sexual assault conviction. No body can give him back the 20 years he suffered, cried and prayed for justice. The physical & psychological wounds of Billy hopefully serve as a testimony to ensure that all sexual assault convictions are first verified through DNA testing. New York City criminal lawyer Jon Marks said “Sexual assault suspects should have the right to prove their innocence. As criminal defense lawyers we make their voice heard”. Do you think Billy can ever forgive the society and legal system for what he went through?