Man wrongly convicted of Inglewood murder freed after 38 years by DNA evidence
A man wrongly convicted of the 1975 murder of a young woman in Inglewood will be released in a matter of weeks after DNA evidence cleared him in a Los Angeles court.The DNA testing has shown that the man, Paul W. Paz, who was a suspect of the slaying of 19-year-old Barbara Ann Blodgett in an Inglewood nightclub called the Blue Moon on the evening of Feb 13 1974, was not the killer.Paz, now 71, was arrested after police received an anonymous tip that he had been seen with a man seen leaving Blodgetts’ bloodied body on March 3, 1974, and the man’s clothing matching hers, including her ring and cash, were found near the scene.The police searched his home, and found a box of evidence from Blodgetts’ body, which included a pair of shoes that had been worn by the killer.Paz eventually took a plea bargain deal and was released after serving three years.It was only after the new DNA evidence was discovered that Paz was exonerated, according to the LA Times.The court order that will release Paz will be issued as soon as possible after the judge reviews the evidence, said a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Superior Court.Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department said police are also pursuing another person of interest in the case that went unsolved, following the new positive matches with Paz’s DNA.The new DNA test was done at the Los Angeles County Public Safety Lab after the new evidence was found. Paz’s lawyer said he believes “the new DNA test excludes Paz of being the killer,” the LA Times reports.His lawyer added that, “if we find that Paz has not been exonerated, it would mean that his arrest, conviction and life sentence were wrong.”LAPD officials added that “pending the outcome of the Paz’s DNA testing
