Mother cleared after 13 years
A woman who spent 13 years in prison for her teenage daughter’s murder was formally cleared of charges in Buffalo following a startling reversal by prosecutors over how the girl died.
“I’m just very grateful that the charges have been dropped against me and I’m looking forward to getting on with my life with my children,” Lynn DeJac said after a state Supreme Court judge dismissed her case.
DeJac, 44, was awaiting retrial on charges she strangled 13-year-old Crystallynn Girard in 1993 when Erie County Dist. Atty. Frank Clark announced that a review by forensics experts showed Crystallynn actually died of a cocaine overdose. DeJac’s original conviction was overturned after belated DNA testing cast doubt on her guilt.
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.
