| First Name | Willie |
| Last Name | Rainge |
| Year of Conviction | 1978 |
| Year of Exoneration | 1996 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Non-Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | Illinois |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | Trial |
| Type of Crime | Rape and Murder |
| Death Sentence | No |
| Life / LWOP sentence | Life |
| Gender of Exoneree | Male |
| Race of exoneree | Black |
| Juvenile | No |
| Type of Innocence Defense |
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| Description / Quotes from Testimony Concerning Defense | ● Defendant’s girlfriend testified that she was with defendant at his house when the crime occurred. |
| Did the defendant testify at trial? | Yes |
| Quotes from Exoneree Testimony | “Q: Did you at any time see either of the deceased? A: No I didn’t.” |
| 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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| Reason why invalid | (5) Invalid use of serology; hair match |
| Brief Quote / Description of Testimony | See Adams, described supra. The analyst testified that hairs looked “[J]ust like if you dropped two dollar bills and you see two dollar bills on the floor. You see two one dollar bills. It’s obvious. And that’s how it looked there.” See Part II.B.2 for a discussion of this case. Codefendant Adams’ blood exhibited an “H reaction” similar to the A type blood found in samples from the victim. “I believe the population is less than two percent of the people that have that” type of clumping due to an “H reaction.” See Adams concerning error in typing co-defendant’s contribution. |
| Identity of eyewitness |
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| Lineup Procedures |
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| Suggestive Procedures | Yes ● Suggestive line-up – shown only three photos in addition to three photos of defendants |
| Quotes from testimony #1 | See Adams. |
| Unreliable Identification? | Yes ● Initial nonidentification – did not identify defendants until after offered police relocation |
| Jailhouse informant, Co-defendant, Incentivized Witness | CD, J |
| Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies | ● Non-public details in codefendant Paula Gray’s reported and false confession, see False Confessions Appendix. ● Non-public details in jailhouse informant’s statements (see Adams, Jimerson) |
| Quotes from testimony #3 | Jailhouse informant testified: “Dennis Williams said he’s glad he took care of the guy and he was tellint Una don’t worry about nothing because they’re gone. They’ll never find the pistol, you know.” And that “they didn’t really shouldn’t have took it from the lady, you know.” |
| Highest level reached | Appeal |
| Claims Raised During All Appeals and Postconviction |
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| Harmless Error Rulings |
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| Citations to judicial opinions | People v. Rainge, 445 N.E.2d 535 (Ill.App. 1 Dist. 1983) |