A California inmate charged in 35-year-old case of four murders has been given a second chance after California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered new DNA testing in connection with the crime.
Kevin Cooper was convicted of the 1983 killings of Doug and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter Jessica and 11-year-old neighbor Christopher Hughes. His lawyers argued that he was framed for the Chino Hills hatchet and knife killings, and that evidence against him was planted. Prosecutors claimed his innocence has been disproven several times, by prior DNA testing.
Gov. Brown ordered a T-shirt, a sheath, towel and a hatchet handle found near the crime scene to be tested, and appointed a retired Court judge to oversee the case.
