In 2006, Terance Calhoun was apprehended for suspicion of attempted rape in one case, rape in another matter, and other things.
This came about after a 15-year-old girl stated that she was attacked by a man who wore braids and had a puzzle tattoo on his arm.
The other girl, 13, told police that a man, who police said was the same person, raped her at gunpoint. She had stated that the incident occurred in an alley, close to where the first incident happened in Detroit. A condom was left at the scene.
That girl assisted authorities in coming up with a composite sketch. It was posted in a liquor store that was close by.
After his apprehension, both victims chose Calhoun during a police lineup.
Court documents had noted that Calhoun, who was 19 then, served 15 years in prison although he didn’t have braids. He also didn’t have a puzzle tattoo. When his DNA was tested, it wasn’t linked to the biological material that was discovered at the scene. These test results had come back less than three months after Calhoun had been given his punishment of 15 to 30 years in prison.
On Wednesday, Calhoun, 35, was exonerated after an audit took place. A backlog, which was years behind, of sexual assault kits resulted it Calhoun’s negative test results being located. It isn’t known if the results had ever landed in the hands of Calhoun’s counsel.
The DNA test proved that the condom found at the second location came from an alleged rapist. That person has been charged with multiple other sexual assault offenses, prosecutors disclosed.
In 2007, Calhoun had taken a plea agreement. He then pleaded no contest to attempted kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, and firearm charges.
His attorney says that Calhoun has cognitive issues and didn’t have a lawyer with him when he talked to authorities. He added that it’s not very hard to manipulate his client.
“…this wrongful conviction is a real tragedy. Not just for him, but a tragedy for the victims who thought that they had achieved some sense of closure,” said Michael Mittlestat, Calhoun’s lawyer.
