LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Department of Attorney General’s (DAG) Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) has announced the successful completion of their 2019 Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence grant. The three-year project helped support the review of hundreds of cases and the release of four individuals: Gilbert Lee Poole Jr., Corey McCall, and George and Melvin DeJesus.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “These cases serve as examples of the important work being done by our Conviction Integrity Unit. When I established this team in 2019, I made a commitment to ensuring those convicted of state crimes are in fact guilty while also providing justice to those wrongfully imprisoned.”

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The AG office said in a press release, “The success of this project would not have been possible without the support of local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies. These various agencies worked collaboratively with the CIU to ensure the unit had access to materials and physical evidence to investigate cases. The team also worked collaboratively with Conviction Integrity Units from Macomb, Oakland, and Washtenaw Counties.”

Gilbert Poole was released in 2021 after serving 32 years for a crime he did not commit. Poole had gone to prison for the murder of Robert Mejia. “I am finally able to enjoy my life,” Poole said. “I now can choose how to spend my days, including working on house projects, building my dream garage, and giving back to others who are trying to prove their innocence. I am beyond thankful to Attorney General Nessel and her entire CIU for giving me my life back.” Mr. Poole is enrolled in Lansing Community College for legal studies and will begin this fall.

Poole is also suing Oakland county, the city of Pontiac and others in a $100 million federal lawsuit according to the Detroit News. He claims he was wrongly convicted due to fabricated evidence, false testimony and junk science.

The DeJesus Brothers, George and Melvin, were released in 2022 after spending 27 years in separate prisons for a rape and murder they didn’t commit. The brothers are now able to spend the time together that they lost and have purchased a home. They have been traveling the country to visit family they were not able to see for decades.

Corey McCall was wrongly convicted of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in 2005. He had been convicted despite evidence of an alibi of participating in an armed robbery in Benton Harbor. McCall was wrongfully sentenced to life in prison without parole before being exonerated in 2021. McCall has since married and purchased a new home. He is working full time and caring for his family.

About the DNA Project, McCall said: “I’m thankful to the Attorney General’s office for taking the time to review my case. There are many more people that went through what I have, and I believe everyone should want the AG’s office to have the funding and resources to keep up with their incredible work.”

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In 2019, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the U.S. Department of Justice, awarded the Michigan AG office $734,930 to review 300 cases to determine if DNA testing could help demonstrate innocence. The funding supported the cost of case reviews, locating evidence, DNA testing of evidence, and hiring of additional staff.

“This grant project has been invaluable to the work of this Unit,” said Nessel. “I also want to recognize the hard work of the attorneys, investigators and staff in my office, the many local agencies, and the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project who all spend hundreds of hours reviewing these challenging cases.”

The WMU-Cooley Innocence Project partnered with the CIU on this project to help screen and identify cases for DNA testing. The offices worked collaboratively to protect the rights of victims and defendants throughout the entire case review.

“Working with the DAG CIU revolutionized our case review and investigation process,” Tracey Brame, Director of the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project said. “Defendants and victims benefitted from the collaborative nature of our work. We were able to streamline the review of cases as well as share expertise and resources, leading to a more thorough and efficient resolution.”

Assistant Attorneys General, investigators, support staff, and interns spent more than 8,622 hours on this project. The CIU was able to review 620 cases – more than double their projected goal of 300 cases.

The CIU worked collaboratively with local law enforcement property rooms to confirm the existence of physical evidence in 17 cases. This required an extensive tracking system that followed every piece of evidence from collection by the original investigating agency to present day.

Once evidence was confirmed, the CIU worked collaboratively with defense counsel to develop a DNA testing plan. Ultimately, nine cases were submitted for DNA testing, and the grant helped fund the DNA testing at private laboratories.

In one example, the CIU worked collaboratively with a local law enforcement agency to confirm the existence of a Sexual Assault Kit that was collected in a 1988 case. This evidence had previously been reported as destroyed. The Kit was then submitted for DNA testing and the results led to additional investigative angles. The CIU’s collaboration with that agency and dedication to justice made the discovery of the evidence possible.

In 2022, the department received another BJA Postconviction DNA Testing of Evidence grant for $550,000 for another three-year project. The CIU intends to review another 300 cases to determine whether new DNA testing can help demonstrate innocence.

The current grant will also support a new special project, the “Preserving Evidence Project,” that will help ensure physical evidence is preserved in cases where it may help prove the identity of the perpetrator. This will ensure justice for victims, for the community, and for the wrongfully convicted.

Attorney General Nessel launched the CIU in 2019. The unit investigates credible claims of innocence to determine whether there is substantial evidence that reveals if a convicted person was wrongfully accused and convicted.

To date, the CIU has received more than 1,900 requests for assistance and has reviewed and closed over 1,000 requests. The Unit is comprised of Director and Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Robyn Frankel, AAG Lori Montgomery, Special Agents Khary Mason and Gentry Shelby, and Legal Secretary Shantel Word. The department also acknowledges the hard work of dozens of interns who have worked in the CIU during the fulfillment of these grant obligations.