Judge orders new trial for Alabama death row inmate in light of new DNA evidence

A federal judge has ordered a new trial for Alabama death row inmate Christopher Barbour, as recent forensic testing has cast doubt on Barbour’s original conviction for a 1992 murder in Montgomery.

Barbour, who is now 56, has been on death row for over three decades for the deadly stabbing of Thelma Bishop Roberts. After initially confessing to helping another man rape Roberts before killing her, Barbour later recanted his confession, claiming that he was coerced by police. Barbour’s former legal counsel even alleged that a detective physically assaulted Barbour in order to precipitate a confession.

Now, new DNA testing has revealed that the semen found on the victim’s body belonged not to Barbour or the man Barbour implicated in his initial confession, but to Roberts’ neighbor, Jerry Ty