Joey Ray Carabajal was convicted in Williamson County, Tx., of possession of a controlled substance and sentenced to two years in prison. Last week, says the Grits for Breakfast blog, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted habeas corpus relief because a lab determined that the “thick purple liquid” he had was not an illegal drug.
The appeals court said a lower court established that “no reasonable trier of fact would have convicted him in light of the new evidence, which demonstrates that he is actually innocent.” Comments the blog: “Maybe prosecutors ought to actually have the drugs tested before shipping defendants off to prison.”