| First Name | James |
| Last Name | Giles |
| Year of Conviction | 1983 |
| Year of Exoneration | 2007 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Non-Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | Texas |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | Trial |
| Type of Crime | Rape |
| Death Sentence | No |
| Gender of Exoneree | Male |
| Race of exoneree | Black |
| Juvenile | No |
| Type of Innocence Defense |
|
| Description / Quotes from Testimony Concerning Defense | ● Defendant’s wife testified that her husband went to bed with her and stayed in bed all night. ● Victim’s description of assailant did not match defendant in height, age, facial hair, clothes, or watch. |
| Did the defendant testify at trial? | Yes |
| Quotes from Exoneree Testimony | “Q: Are you guilty? A. No, I am not guilty.” |
| Types of evidence at trial |
|
| Type of Forensic Evidence |
|
| Types of Flawed Forensics |
|
| Brief Quote / Description of Testimony | There was only a defense analyst, who presented the evidence excluding the defendant. |
| Identity of eyewitness |
|
| Lineup Procedures |
|
| Suggestive Procedures | Yes ● Victim not told attacker might not be in line-up ● Multiple eyewitnesses present at array |
| Quotes from testimony #1 | Victim testified, “after I had identified it and said, ‘This is definitely him,’ my husband said, ‘I stumbled on that picture, too.’” Officer said only “Do you recognize any of these men?” |
| Unreliable Identification? | No ● Discrepancies in description – age, two prominent gold teeth that the victim did not describe, facial hair |
| Quotes from testimony #2 | Defense lawyer pointed out in closings, “Now, what is unusual to me is that he has got two gold teeth, two prominent gold teeth. No mention of that.” Victim testified that attacker had no prominent mustache or other facial hair. |
| Highest level reached | NR |
| Citations to judicial opinions | Giles v. State, No. 05‐83‐00702‐CR (Tex. App. Dallas, November 7, 1984) |