Carolyn Muncey was allegedly kidnapped, raped, and murdered in 1985.  Paul Gregory House, a prior sex offender, was convicted of the crime.  The motive attributed to his actions at the time was rape. 

DNA tests recently determined, though, that the semen found on the victim’s clothes was her husband’s, leading to the conclusion that there was no rape.  Since the tests, two female acquaintances of Muncey’s husband have said that soon after the murder her husband confessed to them that he had accidentally killed her.  Another witness said that the victim’s husband had tried to get her to be an alibi for him. 

Despite all of this new evidence, the appellate court denied House a new trial.  He remains on death row.

Compiled from:  Defendant deserves new trial, St. Petersburg Times, 1 Oct. 2005.