DNA Test Frees Man After 22 Years in Prison
A mentally disabled man who had been known as one of Florida’s most prolific serial killers was released after 22 years in prison, cleared by DNA testing that did not exist when he was convicted.
Jerry Frank Townsend, 49, was convicted in the early 1980s of six murders and one rape and had been serving concurrent life sentences.
Townsend, who is said to have the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, was freed from the Polk Correctional Institution near Lakeland after a chain of events sparked by DNA testing cleared him of several murders in Florida.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
