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DNA Exonerates Convicted Inmate

A man who was convicted of raping and murdering his mother-in-law was exonerated Thursday, after spending seven years in jail. DNA evidence from a cigarette butt helped clear Clarence Elkins. He is expected to be released from prison sometime on Thursday, says prisons system spokeswoman Andrea Dean. He was found guilty of the rape and murder of Judith Johnson, 58, as well as the rape of her 6-year-old granddaughter in 1998. He was sentenced to life in prison and would not have been eligible for parole until 2054.

DNA evidence showed he could not have committed the crimes, says Bill Canterbury, spokesman for the Summit County prosecutor`s office, which tried the case in 1998. Upon hearing he would be released, Elkins said by phone to the AP that he "was just overwhelmed with joy and tears of joy. I was amazed it was so soon. I thought it was going to drag out."

Elkins helped get the DNA sample of the man suspected of actually committing the murders, fellow inmate Earl Gene Mann. He took a cigarette butt Mann had used and turned it over to authorities. Mann, 32, is currently serving a seven-year sentence for raping three girls.