In 1982 and 1983, Steven Phillips, a Texas resident, was accused of several sex crimes, including rape. Phillips was tried and convicted at two separate trials on eyewitness testimony alone, even though his wife, through her testimony, tried to convince the jury that he did not participate in the crimes. Phillips eventually plead guilty to the crimes of criminal sexual conduct with which he was charged, even though he maintained that he was innocent of any involvement. He plead guilty to spare his family from having to go through a third trial and to avoid a potential life sentence in prison.
A period of time later, 24 years to be exact, Phillips was released from prison with his convictions overturned due to DNA evidence. The DNA evidence found from the rapes, which Phillips was convicted with, linked the criminal sexual conduct crimes to another male suspect. During this 24-year imprisonment, Phillips and his wife divorced. Phillips was awarded money by the state of Texas for his unnecessary prison time, but was only gained after going through a time consuming legal battle.
In many instances of criminal sexual conduct, the defendant has been falsely accused. Smith Blythe, PC takes full dedication in representing these clients and will process a full-fledged investigation into the accusations of criminal sexual conduct. Some of the accused may find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, or match a description of a suspect, and in turn find themselves being charged with a criminal sexual conduct crime, like the situation Steven Phillips found himself in. If you believe you have been falsely accused of a crime of criminal sexual conduct contact Smith Blythe, PC, P.C. We are experienced in and dedicated to defending cases involving false accusations of criminal sexual conduct.