Back in 1982, 9-year old Daralyn Johnson went missing on her way home from school in Nampa, Idaho. She was found days later and had been raped, assaulted, and then drowned. The only DNA evidence the police could find was hair. They claimed that this hair could be traced back to a man named Charles Fain. Over the years, Greg Hampikian, the Director of the Innocence Project in Idaho, fought to prove that Fain was not guilty of the crime.
Finally, in 2001, Hampikian was able to prove to the court that the DNA found in the Daralyn Johnson case did not match his client. Fain was released from prison and exonerated of the crime. However, he spent more than 18 years in prison before his release. When he requested compensation from the State of Idaho for his false conviction, he was denied. And in recent years, the Governor of Idaho vetoed a bill that would have allowed compensation for these wrongfully convicted victims.
Since 2012, Hampikian has been working with researchers and scientists to find a sample that did match the hair DNA found in the Johnson case. Until this month, they were unable to find a match.
Using something called mitochondrial DNA sequencing, Greg Hampikian and scientist Ed Green finally found a match. They traced the DNA from the crime to a man named David Allen Dalrymple. It took over 40 years but they were finally able to do it. The crime, which has been labeled a cold case since 2001, has finally been solved. And Charles Fain finally has justice.
The police and Hampikian have not indicated what the next step, in this case, maybe. They didn’t even indicate whether Dalrymple is even alive at this point.
If you or your loved one have been wrongfully convicted, make sure to call our office right away.