the Truth about THE DNA
In 2012, per Faarooq’s request, the rape kit was resubmitted for DNA testing. The tests found two male DNA profiles: one from the oral swab, and one from both the stains on the victim’s palm and DNA collected from under her fingernails. Andrew was excluded as the source of both of these DNA profiles. This information has not yet been litigated.
the Truth about THE GUN
The 9mm gun used and stolen during the commission of the crimes was found in the possession of a career criminal, Cameron Crews, from Columbus, Ohio who was a state and federal informant in Atlanta, Georgia. He claims to have purchased the gun from a man named Shannon. Police never further investigated how Crews came to be in possession of the gun.
the Truth about THE ALIBI
On March 25th 2002, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm, Faarooq was with Dejuan Willis in the alley behind Willis’s house, 1.3 miles away from the scene of the crime, Game-Arama. According to Willis, when the two parted, Faarooq seemed to head in the direction of the Minniefield’s house, the opposite direction of the Game-Arama store. The crime was committed between 12:49 pm and 1:30 pm, with the suspect having to have entered the store between 12:49pm and 12:55pm.
After leaving Willis’s house, Faarooq sent a message via pager to both his dad and his stepmom at 1pm. Despite being a key alibi witness, the defense counsel never contacted Willis to testify on Faarooq’s behalf. Moreover, the pager transcripts were not brought forth during the trial by the defense attorney’s on Andrew’s behalf.
Michael Davis was a patron of Game-Arama, on March 25th, 2002. He said he was in the store between 1:15 and 1:30pm, when he saw a black man arguing with the victim, Shauna. According to Davis, the man exited the store, reached into the passenger side of a maroon Oldsmobile Cutlass, pocketed an item, and re-entered the store. An additional witness, John Hennessy, who was in the parking lot during the commission of the crime, corroborated the details vis-à-vis the color of the car. On March 26th. 2002, Davis reported to the police what he witnessed. Davis was never questioned, shown a photo line-up, nor asked to testify. His sheet was not in the discovery package. None of these three men were called to testify.
the Truth about THE BRACELET
The State’s Argument:
A bracelet, identified as possibly belonging to the victim, was found near Faarooq’s jacket on the day of the crime at the Minniefield residence (A family friend’s house).
The Truth:
The bracelet in question did not belong to the victim. Her family could not say conclusively that the bracelet was hers, and neither the victim’s nor Andrew’s DNA was found on it. The victim’s co-worker did not recall her wearing a bracelet, and the victim’s father said that she could not wear a bracelet because of a scar on her wrist. Clarence Minniefield told an investigator that he was a lookout for a robbery during which the bracelet was stolen; Clarence’s guardian ad litem made him ‘plead the fifth’ at trial on questions about the origins of the bracelet.