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Defendant Name, Crime, State Year
Kevin Martin, Rape-Murder, Washington DC 1982
Washington DC – DNA evidence has led to the exoneration of Kevin Martin, a 50-year-old man who was wrongfully convicted of the 1982 rape and murder of 19-year-old Ursula Brown in Southwest Washington DC.
Kevin Martin pled guilty in March 1984 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of manslaughter while armed, as well as two counts of armed robbery stemming from separate incidents in November 1982. He was sentenced to 15 years to life for manslaughter and two consecutive terms of 10 years to life on the robbery charges, totaling 35 years to life in prison.
However, DNA testing has now revealed that Martin is innocent of the brutal rape and murder of Brown. The U.S. Attorney’s Office joined Martin in asking the court to vacate his manslaughter conviction and issue a certificate of actual innocence for that conviction.
“Thirty years ago, Kevin Martin was unjustly branded a rapist and murderer,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “Although Mr. Martin had been justly convicted of a series of armed robberies, the system failed us all when he was wrongfully convicted of a brutal rape and murder and, as a result, spent far too long in prison.
The murder of Ursula Brown was one of a series of crimes committed in late October and November of 1982, in which motorists were bumped and then attacked after stopping their vehicles. A total of eight victims – seven women and one man – were robbed or assaulted in separate incidents between October 31 and November 8, 1982. Brown was the only victim to be murdered.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested three men in 1982 for taking part in one or more of the crimes, including Martin, William Davidson, and Kevin Williams. Martin spoke to the police after his arrest on November 10, 1982, and admitted to being involved in three bump-and-rob incidents with Davidson, all on November 8, 1982. The robbery charges stemmed from two of those attacks. He repeatedly denied killing Brown, however.
The Honorable Robert I. Richter granted the motion to vacate Martin’s manslaughter conviction at a hearing today. Martin was paroled in 2009 after serving 25 years of his 35-year sentence.
Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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