| First Name | McKinley |
| Last Name | Cromedy |
| Year of Conviction | 1994 |
| Year of Exoneration | 1999 |
| State of Conviction | New Jersey |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | 2 Trials |
| Type of Crime | Rape |
| Death Sentence | No |
| Gender of Exoneree | Male |
| Race of exoneree | Black |
| Juvenile | No |
| Description / Quotes from Testimony Concerning Defense | ● Defense argued mistaken identification |
| Did the defendant testify at trial? | No |
| 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 | Analyst testified that latent prints excluded Cromedy. Analyst correctly explained masking where the victim was an A secretor and Cromedy was an A non-secretor and the specimens had A and H antigens. “Q. So, what you are basically saying is that the underpants, the panties, and vaginal swab, the source of the blood groups A H could have been either from the victim or from the attacker? A. Correct.” |
| Identity of eyewitness |
|
| Lineup Procedures |
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| Suggestive Procedures | Yes ● Show-up ● Suggestive remarks |
| Quotes from testimony #1 | Victim saw man she recognized as attacker on street and called police. Police then asked her to come to the station, saying, “we think we have who you described to us, canyou come down and ID him.” Victim then viewed Cromedy in a holding cell with police officers in uniform. |
| Unreliable Identification? | Yes ● Discrepancies in description – gap in teeth ● Initial nonidentification |
| Quotes from testimony #2 | Victim did not identify Cromedy’s photo when looking at mug shots. “Q: Do you know whether or not she looked at McKinley Cromedy’s picture when she looked through those numbers of slides? A: Yes she did.” |
| Highest level reached | NR |
| 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 | State v. Cromedy, 727 A.2d 457 (N.J. 1999) |