DNA matches victim's fiance in old Wyo. rape case

By The Associated Press Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Additional DNA testing in a 24-year-old Wyoming rape case shows a match to the man who was the victim's fiance at the time, rather than the man who is in prison serving a life sentence for the crime.

A state district judge in Cheyenne will hold a hearing Tuesday to consider 63-year-old Andrew J. Johnson's request to receive a new trial based on DNA evidence. Johnson has maintained his innocence while serving a life sentence for the 1989 rape in Cheyenne.

In February, a judge granted Johnson's request for the first DNA testing in his case. Last month, initial results ruled out Johnson as the source of male DNA found in samples taken from the victim.

Relatives hope Johnson will get a new trial and possibly be released on bond.

"I cannot wait to finally see him walk free," his stepdaughter, Angela Johnson, 28, of Denver, said Monday.

The rape happened after Johnson and the victim spent an evening together visiting bars in Cheyenne. Johnson told police he walked back to his home after the victim drove home to hers without him. The victim told police Johnson later broke in to her apartment and raped her in the dark, according to court documents.

Now, additional testing shows a match between DNA taken from the victim's ex-fiance and DNA in a sample taken from the victim after the attack.

Laramie County District Attorney Scott Homar requested the additional testing after receiving the initial results. The victim had told police that only one man attacked her and that she didn't have sexual intercourse with anybody else the night she was raped.

Homar said the DNA match with the victim's ex-fiance wasn't surprising.

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DNA matches victim's fiance in old Wyo. rape case