A Wyoming man who was granted the state’s first retrial based on DNA evidence has been released from jail on bond after more than 23 years in prison.
A stepdaughter of 63-year-old Andrew J. Johnson says he posted $10,000 bond Wednesday. Johnson previously had been transferred to the Cheyenne jail from the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins.
Johnson was convicted of raping a Cheyenne woman in her apartment in 1989. He was sentenced to life in prison because he had previous convictions.
Recently, the first-ever DNA tests in Johnson’s case showed a match for the man who was the victim’s fiance at the time, not for Johnson.
A judge on Tuesday granted Johnson a new trial. Johnson’s stepdaughter, Angela Johnson of Denver, says she was thrilled to hear of his release.