CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — A Harrison County circuit judge will decide whether the 2001 rape and robbery conviction of Joseph Buffey will stand.
Attorneys for Buffey said a DNA test does not link Buffey to the rape and robbery of an 83 year old Clarksburg woman.
Instead, they said a check of the national database turned up a match for another man, identified as Adam Bowers, who is serving time for a separate assault.
Because of that, Buffey’s attorneys were arguing that the conviction be overturned in front of Harrison County Circuit Judge Thomas Bedell this week.
A hearing on Buffey’s case started Wednesday in Harrison County Circuit Court.
Buffey was 19 years old at the time of the crime. He plead guilty to the charges but later said his confession was coerced.
Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Shaffer has opposed efforts to free Buffey.