The family of Ledell Lee is devastated after discovering that another person’s DNA was found on the murder weapon, four years after Ledell was executed for the crime.

In 1995, Ledell Lee was convicted for the 1993 murder of Debra Reese, who was found tragically killed after being attacked with a small wooden bat.

The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld this conviction in 1997, but doubt has always loomed over whether Lee was truly guilty of the crime.

Some neighbors of the victim claimed to have seen Lee near the crime scene, but his family disputed this in a lawsuit filed in 2020, stating, “No physical evidence directly tied Mr. Lee to the murder of Ms. Reese.”

On April 20, 2017, Ledell Lee was executed. Until his final moments, he maintained his innocence, stating to the BBC, “My dying words will always be, as it has been: I am an innocent man.”

In 2021, Lee’s family was informed by their attorney that DNA belonging to someone else was discovered on the murder weapon. This revelation has sparked further doubts about Lee’s conviction.

Lee’s attorney, Lee Short, expressed, “I think if those results had been available before he was executed, he’d still be alive.”

DNA tests were funded by Lee’s family with the help of the Innocence Project and the American Civil Liberties Union. These tests revealed DNA of an unknown man, not only on the murder weapon but also on a bloody white t-shirt that was wrapped around it.

Moreover, testing conducted on six hairs found at the crime scene, which played a role in Lee’s conviction, showed that Lee could be ruled out as a source for five of those hairs.

Patricia Young, Lee’s sister, issued a statement through the Innocence Project saying, “We are glad there is new evidence in the national DNA database and remain hopeful that there will be further information uncovered in the future.” She also asked for privacy for her family during this challenging time.

Despite these DNA findings, Lee’s previous attorneys had sought DNA testing during the appeal, but this request was turned down.

According to Lee Short, “The judge’s rationale was that it wouldn’t have made a difference, given that three people claimed to have seen him at or near the neighborhood around the time of the crime. The DNA evidence was considered insignificant.”

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson commented, “The evidence was inconclusive, but the jury found him guilty based on the information they had.”