The Evidence That Sat in the Room: Freed After 22 Years

The Evidence That Sat in the Room: Freed After 22 Years Light hit his face like a question - Alan Newton walked out of a New York courthouse on July 7, 2006, after 22 years behind bars, freed by a rape kit that had been sitting in the NYPD property room the whole time. The kit had been logged and sealed since the June 23, 1984 assault that blinded the victim in one eye, yet for over a decade the state told Newton it no longer existed. How did an item that could have proven innocence remain unexamined while a man lost two decades of his life? In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the night of June 23, 1984, through the trial and decades in prison, to the 2006 release and subsequent civil case that found deliberate indifference rather than negligence. We cover the original assault, the identifications that convicted Newton, the missing defense investigation, and the role of the preserved rape kit in overturning a conviction - and ask what the record shows about responsibility. Person: Alan Newton Date: June 23, 1984 (assault) Date: May 31, 1985 (sentencing) Date: July 7, 2006 (release) Event: Rape kit logged and sealed in NYPD property room - The victim lost sight in one eye as a result of the assault on June 23, 1984. - Alan Newton was sentenced on May 31, 1985 to 15 to 40 years after spending 332 days in jail before trial. - The prosecution’s case relied on two identifications and had no physical evidence, fingerprints, DNA, or confession. - The victim called the prosecutor the night before trial saying she was not certain about her identification, yet identified Newton in court the next morning. - Alan Newton did not know how to drive, while the victim described her attacker as the driver of the vehicle. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].