Convicting the Innocent
DNA Exonerations Database

Ada Joanne Taylor

First NameAda Joanne
Last NameTaylor
Year of Conviction1990
Year of Exoneration2009
Testing inculpated culpritNon-Cold Hit
State of ConvictionNebraska
Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty PleaGuilty Plea
Type of CrimeMurder
Death SentenceNo
Gender of ExonereeFemale
Race of exonereeWhite
JuvenileNo
Mentally Ill or Intellectually DisabledMentally Ill
Types of evidence at trial
  • Confession
  • Forensic Evidence
  • Informant
Were non-public facts alleged?Yes
Type of Forensic Evidence
  • Serology
Types of Flawed Forensics
  • Invalid
Reason why invalid(1) Masking
Brief Quote / Description of Testimony

Fingerprint and hair comparison excluded defendant. Analyst testified in Joseph White’s trial that serology was consistent with two co-defendants, without providing any statistics or explaining that those findings were also entirely consistent with the victim and none could be excluded.

Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies

● Described general layout of victim’s apartment ● Described involvement of others in a rape ● Described a pink towel used to bind the victim ● Described Sheldon being pushed into the wall BUT had described attack occurring in a “light colored house” not an apartment. She also described that law enforcement helped her to remember much of what she testified to. Taylor had been diagnosed with a “personality disorder” by a police psychologist and described having problems with her memory and a belief she had telepathic abilities, but was not evaluated by a defense expert.

Quotes from law enforcement testimony

Guilty Plea – No trial. But testified in Joseph White trial.

Interrogation RecordedVideotape of part of interrogation
Jailhouse informant, Co-defendant, Incentivized WitnessCD
Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies● Non-public facts described in false confession Appendix concerning other “Beatrice Six” defendants Dean, Shelden, and Winslow.
Highest level reachedNR

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