TX- DA says conviction in 'Ashley's Laws' case can't stand

5-23-2008 Texas:

PLANO, Texas — A suburban Dallas district attorney says there's not enough evidence to uphold the conviction of a man on death row for the child slaying that led to the creation of "Ashley's Laws."

Collin County District Attorney John Roach said in a statement Friday that new DNA evidence does not connect Michael Blair to the 1993 killing of 7-year-old Ashley Estell.

The girl's death prompted the Legislature to pass tough laws, called "Ashley's Laws," that require longer prison terms and public registration for sex offenders.

At the time of the slaying, Blair was on parole after serving only 18 months of a 10-year sentence for burglary and indecency with a child.

Last month, The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals asked a trial court to determine the significance of new DNA testing in the Blair case.

Even if Blair is formally exonerated in the capital murder case, he has been sentenced to three consecutive life sentences in the sexual assaults of other children in the early 1990s. ..more.. by Associated Press