CONFIRMATIONS
from the
12TH MAN EXONERATED
"Dallas Man Pardoned In Wrongful Rape Conviction "
By: JENNIFER EMILY
Dallas Morning News Published: March 10, 2007
From Left to Right: My Attorney Nina Morrison, James Waller and
Barry C. Scheck (co-founder of the Innocence Project)
DNA exonerated 50-year-old who was jailed for 11 years. Gov. Rick Perry on Friday pardoned a Dallas County man wrongly convicted of rapping a 12-year-old boy.
DNA evidence cleared James Douglas Waller last year. Then, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended Mr. Perry pardon him.
Mr. Waller, 50, is the 12th Dallas County man exonerated by DNA testing in the last five years. In 1982 Mr. Waller was sentenced to 30 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse. He was paroled 11 years later. He has since been registered as a sex offender.
"After considering recommendations from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, district attorney, district judge and chief of police, I feel confident that the pardon is just and must be granted," Mr. Perry said in a written statement. "DNA evidence proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that [Mr.] Waller is innocent of the convictions set against him.
Mr. Waller said he's ready to take back the life that was taken away from him by the conviction.
"I thank God that the limitations have been taken off my life," he said. "Now, I can live my life."
His first goal, he said, is "to get a decent job."
One of Mr. Waller's attorneys, Jeff Blackburn, director of the Innocence Project os Texas, said Friday that he expected the pardon but was surprised it came so quickly. He credited the DAllas County district attorney's office for supporting post-conviction DNA testing.
"DNA has changed everything. DNA answers all questions and reveals all truth," Mr. Blackburn said. "In the past, in Dallas, the government's response has been very different than what it is now. James Waller has blazed a trail."
Like most men recently exonerated in Dallas County, Mr. Waller was arrested and convicted based on eyewitness testimony, a notoriously unreliable form of evidence.
Mr. Waller never stopped declaring his innocence and began a quest in 2001 to clear his name through DNA testing. A 2003 test performed by the Department of Public Safety was not sensitive enough. He then raised money to pay for a more accurate test at at private lab. The results came back in December and showed he did not assault the boy.
Mr. Waller was accused of breaking into an Old East Dallas apartment before dawn, court records show. The boy,whose mother had left for work, said a man tied his hands with an electrical cord and raped him.
Initially, the boy said he did not see his attacker's face. But the following day, the boy told his mother that he recognized Mr. Waller as the attacker.
Mr. Waller's girlfriend said he had been in bed with her at the time of the attack.
The Doris Waller Scholarship
Doris Felice James was the seventh child born to Shirley James, Sr. and Ruby James on January 31, 1960. She was born in Fort Ord, California. Doris’ father served in the Armed forces and the family was blessed to travel throughout the United States. Her travel experiences - especially her time in Hawaii had a tremendous impact on her. She had great “people skills” – she could mingle and hold conversations with people of every social and economic class. She would often attribute this to her upbringing on the Monterey Peninsula where there was great cultural and social diversity.
Doris Felice James was a vibrant human being! She was outgoing, friendly and funny. She had a big smile, bright white teeth and an infectious laugh
From her early years, Doris exhibited leadership skills. While a student of public schools on the Monterey Peninsula, she transformed herself from a run of the mill student to become the vice-president of her junior high school. From there she continued to grow and develop. She became a cheerleader and was involved in a variety of clubs and activities during high school. Doris was also a debutante at the age of sixteen.
Doris developed a high work ethic. She got her first summer job when she was 14 and worked straight through until she retired. She was industrious. She bought a brand new car while still in her teens. Later, she purchased her first home while a single young woman.
Doris earned her B.S. degree at California State University at Sacramento. While Doris attended church all of her life, it wasn’t until she was in college that she solidified her relationship with God. She began to read the Bible and apply what she read to her life.
While she was a criminal justice major in college, Doris discovered her passion for working with incarcerated juveniles. Shortly after graduating from Sacramento State University, she began working with the California Youth Authority. She started as a group counselor and retired as a Lieutenant. For nearly two decades, Doris worked passionately to make a difference in the lives of the young people with whom she worked - whether in juvenile hall, group homes, the youth authority, or as a guest speaker for various youth groups and associations, Doris sought to help the youth understand that they were special to God and that he had a plan for their lives. Doris was also instrumental in recruiting many people into the field of youth work.
During her tenure at the youth authority, Doris met a colleague named Phyliss Leggs who eventually introduced Doris to her brother, James Waller. Doris would describe James as “God’s gift to her.”
Doris and James had a year-long courtship before uniting in marriage in 1999. It was then that Doris moved to Dallas, Texas and began her long journey of working to have her husband’s conviction overturned.
