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Man convicted of rape after woman's dream acquitted in re-trial

Clarence Moses-El spent 28 years in prison
Posted at 1:37 PM, Nov 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-14 21:13:43-05

DENVER -- The man who a court convicted of a rape after a woman came forward, saying she saw his face in a dream, is heading home a free man. 

More than 28 years after his original conviction, Clarence Moses-El is a free man after a Denver court acquitted him on charges of rape. 

Moses-El, now 60, has been free on bond during the trial. The re-trial sparked after L.C. Jackson, who is serving time for two other rapes, confessed to Moses-El in prison. 

The confession prompted a judge to toss out the conviction over the 1987 crime. Moses-El walked free on Dec. 22, 2015. 

The Denver District Attorney's Office has maintained Moses-El is guilty. 

"Those who now argue that he was convicted based solely on a dream are either unaware of the complete facts or disregard them. The victim  was severely beaten, suffered multiple facial fractures, and was in a coma," The District Attorney said. "It took some time after the attack before the victim was able to give her statement. She testified during the trial and was cross-examined at length. The jury believed her testimony that she was attacked and raped by Clarence Moses-El." 

Initially, when speaking to police, the victim named Jackson as her assailant, but reportedly changed her story after seeing Moses-El's face in a dream. 

The case has sparked calls for change in how rape evidence is kept and stored. 

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