Timothy Scott Bridges was 22 when he was accused of the rape of an 83-year-old woman. He was convicted in 1991 based on testimony from an FBI expert on hair comparison analysis who said that there was a 1 in 1000 chance that the hair at the crime scene came from someone other than Bridges. Due to flaws in this testimony, Bridges will now get a retrial.
“No accepted research exists on how often hair from different people may appear the same. The FBI now uses DNA testing in combination with hair examination. ‘If offered today, the hair evidence would be inadmissible, and without the hair evidence there was insufficient evidence to convict Mr. Bridges,’ wrote his attorney, Lauren Miller, with North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services.”
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article37222038.html
