After 23 years in Missouri prisons for a rape he didn’t commit, Johnny Briscoe was exonerated four years ago this week when DNA tests proved his innocence.

Briscoe was convicted of raping a suburban St. Louis woman in 1982. The rapist stayed with the victim after the attack, reportedly smoking a cigarette and telling her that his name was Johnny Briscoe. The victim identified Briscoe at a live lineup, where he was the only person wearing an orange jumpsuit.

After his conviction, Briscoe continued to proclaim his innocence. Through the work of Centurion Ministries, investigators eventually discovered the cigarette butts left by the perpetrator. DNA testing on one of the butts revealed the profile of a man Briscoe knew who was already incarcerated. It’s likely that the man was trying to frame Briscoe for the rape. Briscoe, then 52, was vindicated, and he walked out of prison on July 19, 2006.

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