Cornelius Dupree Exoneration
April 4, 2011
Crime
On an average November day in Dallas Texas 1979, a female and male traveling together, stopped at a liquor store in Dallas to purchase cigarettes. The male ran into the store while the 26 year old female used a nearby telephone. She noticed to African-american males approach her. Returning to the vehicle, her male friend came out of the drug store, and approached the car. The two African-Americans pulled out their guns and directed him into the driver seat of the car, while one of the African-American's jumped into the passenger seat with the male, the other got into the back with the female. The African-American males told the male to get drive on the highway. After a short while they commanded the male to pullover and get out of the car, after robbing him of his money, and any valuables. The female attempted to escape but was quickly pulled back into the car by the two African-American males. The criminals drove to a nearby park with the female still in the car. They both took turns raping the female while one of the criminals had her at gunpoint. After the rapes occurred the criminals threatened the female by saying if she went to the police they would kill her. The female ran to a nearby road and fainted on the side of the road, where a patrol car found her, and revived her on the spot. The policeman brought her to the police station where she met with the male victim/her friend.
Suspect
A week after the attack, Cornelius Dupree, and Anthony Massingill were stopped by police around the scene of the crime. They were stopped because the description given for another sexual assault case matched perfectly. Dupree, and Massingill where searched, and Dupree was clean but however Massingill was found with a handgun, that was identical to the one in description. They both were taken into the police station and their pictures were added to the lineup of potential criminals that the victim would later look at. Later on the array of potential criminals pictures where displayed to the male, and female victims separately, the male picked two men, who were neither Dupree or Masingill, but the female victim chose Dupree and Massingill. Following the two victims picking who they thought where the criminals next were the two employees where the perpetrators tried to sell the fur coat that was the victims. They both chose men other than Dupree and Masingill.
Cornelius Dupree
Anthony Massingill
Exoneration
In 2006 the Dallas Attorney's agreed to work with the Innocence Project. They decided to look at the physical evidence from the Dupree case, using DNA from the case