Santae Tribble

In July 1978, two middle-aged white men were gunned down in their Washington D.C neighborhood. A few weeks after their murders, two men were arrested in connection with the shootings, 17-year-old Santae Tribble and his friend, 20-year-old Cleveland Wright. Although both men denied involvement in the crimes, Washington D.C. police and prosecutors believed they had enough forensic evidence to secure convictions. Tribble and Wright were convicted in the shootings after hair analysis testimony argued that Tribble’s hair was found at one of the crime scenes. But years into their prison sentences, questions began to arise about whether the right people for the murders were behind bars. If forensic science can convict someone, can the same evidence also be used to acquit someone?

Photo Source: Innocence Project

Episode Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/2012/04/16/gIQAbndgMT_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_1&_=ddid-5-1656521340

https://casetext.com/case/tribble-v-united-states-1

Innocence Project