# Coleman was guilty **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 12, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coleman-was-guilty/339723 "2006-01-12T22:22:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coleman-was-guilty/339723/1 "2006-01-12T22:22:52Z")
In several threads over the years like [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=144157), we have discussed the case of Roger Keith Coleman, executed in Virginia for the brutal murder of his sister-in-law. The state of Virginia fought for some time to avoid testing the evidence in Coleman’s case with more advanced DNA methods; recently, outgoing Governor Mark Warner ordered that testing to happen. The tests prove that Coleman was [in fact guilty](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060112/ap_on_re_us/execution_dna). Now, I’m of two minds about this. I am relieved that an innocent man was not executed. Part of me wishes that the results would have been different, because the case against the death penalty would have been given some very powerful ammunition. I had mentioned Coleman as a possible example of an innocent man executed, though, and I wanted to publicly acknowledge that the issue is now settled, and he wasn’t. I do NOT believe that this justifies the death penalty. But honest discourse demands that I make this admission: to the extent I thought Coleman might be innocent… he wasn’t. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coleman-was-guilty/339723)._