Convicting the Innocent
DNA Exonerations Database

Robert Clark

First Name Robert
Last NameClark
Year of Conviction1982
Year of Exoneration2005
Testing inculpated culpritCold Hit
State of ConvictionGeorgia
Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty PleaTrial
Type of CrimeRape
Death SentenceNo
Life / LWOP sentenceLife
Gender of ExonereeMale
Race of exonereeBlack
JuvenileNo
Type of Innocence Defense
  • Third Party Guilt
Description / Quotes from Testimony Concerning Defense

● Witness testified that she had seen another man, Tony Arnold (who matched the victim’s initial description of her attacker), driving the victim’s car shortly after the rape occurred. Defense attorney had earlier stated during cross-examination of one of the arresting officers, that Tony Arnold’s social security card had been found in the car.

Did the defendant testify at trial?No
Types of evidence at trial
  • Eyewitness
  • Forensic Evidence
Type of Forensic Evidence
  • Hair
Types of Flawed Forensics
  • Valid (Excluded)
Brief Quote / Description of Testimony

The analyst testified that the questioned hair did not match either the victim or the defendant.

Identity of eyewitness
  • Intraracial Identificaiton
  • Victim
Lineup Procedures
  • Lineup
  • Photo array
Suggestive Procedures

Yes ● Suggestive remarks ● Suggestive line-up – and only person repeated from array to line-up ● Victim told attacker would be in line-up

Quotes from testimony #1

Did he tell you he thought the picture would be there of the person who had done this to you?’ Your answer: ‘Well, he told me the person he had got a line on was someone…had saw him drive my car or something.

Unreliable Identification?

Yes ● Discrepancy in description – height and weight, described attacker as 5’7”, where Clark is over 6’1” ● Initial non-id and initially uncertain – initially picked the mug shot of another man, and when first saw Clark’s photo was not certain

Quotes from testimony #2

Q: So your statement at the time that you looked at the photo lineup was only that he looked very much like the person, isn’t that true? A: Yes.

Highest level reachedNR
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