| First Name | Kirk |
| Last Name | Bloodsworth |
| Year of Conviction | 1985 |
| Year of Exoneration | 1993 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | Maryland |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | 2 Trials |
| Type of Crime | Murder |
| Death Sentence | Yes |
| Gender of Exoneree | Male |
| Race of exoneree | White |
| Juvenile | No |
| Type of Innocence Defense |
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| Description / Quotes from Testimony Concerning Defense | ● Hair and fingerprints from the crime scene did not match defendant’s ● Family members and friends testified they who saw defendant for various parts of the time when the crime was committed. |
| Did the defendant testify at trial? | Yes |
| Quotes from Exoneree Testimony | ● Defendant testified that he was either home with his wife’s family or with friends all day ● When asked about the bloody rock that was used to assault the victim, defendant testified, “I don’t know nothing of that.” |
| Types of evidence at trial |
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| Type of Forensic Evidence |
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| Types of Flawed Forensics |
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| Brief Quote / Description of Testimony | The analyst concluded, in comparing shoe prints to the defendants’ shoes, “I was unable to determine general wear, size of the shoe, or I was unable to find any specific identifying features.” A latent print in the case excluded Bloodsworth. |
| Identity of eyewitness |
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| Multiple eyewitnesses | 5 |
| Lineup Procedures |
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| Suggestive Procedures | Yes ● Suggestive line-up – only three of the six photos in array were similar to descriptions. Defendant was only man in array whose hair matched composite image. ● Eyewitness not told attacker might not be in line-up |
| Quotes from testimony #1 | Q. Okay. Now, in the photographs that they showed you, some of those photographs did not have a mustache; isn’t that correct? |
| Unreliable Identification? | Yes |
| Quotes from testimony #2 | Q. The last time we were here and we talked, I asked you about the color of the man’s hair; is that right? You remember we talked about color? [. . .] A. Yes. Q. [. . .] You told me that the person did not have red hair; isn’t that right? A. Right. |
| Jailhouse informant, Co-defendant, Incentivized Witness | IW |
| Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies | ● Cooperating witness recounted statements by Bloodsworth, that while not admissions, contained allegedly non-public information about the crime |
| Quotes from testimony #3 | ‘I didn’t think anything of it then, and he started talking about this little girl and her clothes, and some guy that was with him that was supposed to have done it and some rock. It was bloody and all this kind of stuff.’ The prosecution contended that the information about the rape was non-public. However, police also conceded that the rock was sitting in the interview room before Bloodsworth was interrogated and that it was only removed after Bloodsworth had entered the room. |
| Highest level reached | Appeal |
| Claims Raised During All Appeals and Postconviction |
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| Claims granted, resulting in preexon. reversal |
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| Harmless Error Rulings |
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| Citations to judicial opinions | Bloodsworth v. State, 512 A.2d 1056 (Md. 1986) |