Judge could rule deaf inmate was wrongly convicted

[September 27, 2010]  DALLAS (AP) -- A deaf man imprisoned in the sexual assault of a child, despite a crime-scene fingerprint that matched a convicted child rapist, could have his guilty verdict overturned.

Stephen Brodie is expected to be exonerated during a hearing Monday at the Dallas County courthouse. The county district attorney's office is supporting the 39-year-old man's claims of innocence.

There was no physical evidence linking Brodie to the 1990 sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl. His attorney, Michelle Moore, says prosecutors failed to notify Brodie's lawyer about forensic testing on hair found at the crime scene excluding him as the source.

After Brodie was convicted, police learned the fingerprint matched a man who pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.

[Associated Press; By JEFF CARLTON]

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