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Randall Lynn Ayers

Other Ohio Cases with Mistaken Witness Identifications
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On November 11, 1981, a 15-year-old girl waiting to be picked up by her mother in the Westwood neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, was dragged into a vacant lot, raped, robbed of $1 and shot in the back of the neck.

The victim survived the attack and on December 15, 1981, she happened to notice Randall Lynn Ayers, a 17-year-old senior and aspiring Marine, standing with friends at Western Hills High School. She identified Ayers as her assailant and he was arrested.

At his trial, the victim identified Ayers. Witnesses for Ayers testified that he was with them smoking marijuana and drinking beer in an abandoned car at the time of the assault.

On March 29, 1981, a Hamilton County jury convicted Ayers of rape, aggravated robbery and attempted aggravated murder. He was sentenced to 14 to 50 years in prison.

In 1990, an accused serial murderer and rapist, Robert Minton, 29, of Cincinnati, confessed to being the true assailant and told police details about the crime that had never been made public.

As part of the investigation of Minton's admission, prosecutors brought the victim to the Hamilton County Justice Center so that she could view Ayers and Minton standing side by side. She could not say which of the two men attacked her.

On July 20, 1990, Ayers was released from prison after prosecutors dismissed the charges because of Minton's confession.

In December, 1990, the Ohio Court of Claims awarded Ayers $367,700 in compensation for his wrongful conviction and incarceration.

Maurice Possley


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Posting Date:  Before June 2012
Last Updated: 10/10/2018
State:Ohio
County:Hamilton
Most Serious Crime:Attempted Murder
Additional Convictions:Rape, Robbery
Reported Crime Date:1981
Convicted:1982
Exonerated:1990
Sentence:14 to 50 years
Race/Ethnicity:White
Sex:Male
Age at the date of reported crime:17
Contributing Factors:Mistaken Witness ID
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:No