After 44 years in prison, New Mexico man exonerated of 1982 rape and murder conviction

      Misscrime

      Carl Case, a 65-year-old New Mexico man, has been declared innocent and freed after spending 44 years in prison for a 1982 rape and murder conviction. He was released on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, marking one of the ten longest documented wrongful imprisonments in United States history. 

      A breakdown of the case background, the newly presented evidence, and the current legal status:
      Background and Conviction
      Carl Case was arrested at the age of 19 and convicted by a jury on October 26, 1982. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 18 years for the first-degree murder and criminal sexual penetration of a Carlsbad teenager, Nancy Mitchell. Her body was discovered in January 1982 near the Six Mile Dam outside Carlsbad, Eddy County.
      Three other individuals were also convicted in connection with the crime: a juvenile who was released after serving time, one man who passed away in prison in 2025, and another individual, Joe Brown, who remains incarcerated.
      Carl Case, center, walks out of the gates of the Penitentiary of New Mexico on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, alongside attorneys Clay Wilwol, left, and April Land after he was released from prison after 44 years.Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican.
      The Evidence That Secured His Freedom:
      Fifth Judicial District Court Judge Lisa Riley ruled that Case was “actually innocent” after his defense team presented critical new evidence that overturned the original 1982 trial findings: 

      Scientific Timeline Shift: Modern forensic entomology (the study of insects on the body) combined with historical climatological data proved that the victim died in mid-to-late December 1981. This directly contradicted the state’s original prosecution timeline. 

      Coerced Perjury: The court found that the original conviction relied heavily on pressured eyewitness testimonies from teenagers. These witnesses have since recanted their statements, admitting they committed perjury due to intense pressure from law enforcement. 

      Suppressed Evidence: It was revealed that the state had suppressed and failed to transcribe a recorded police interview involving a key third eyewitness, Bobby Autry, hiding critical details from the defense during the initial trial. 

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