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Eric Birden

Other Harris County CIU Cases
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On August 15, 2007, Harris County, Texas Sheriff’s police arrested 23-year-old Eric Birden after they confiscated a powdery substance from him that field-tested positive for cocaine.

On August 17, 2007, Birden pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 30 days in the Harris County Jail.

In July 2014, the Harris County District Attorney’s Post-Conviction Review Unit was informed that laboratory tests had been performed on the powder in November of 2008 and no controlled substance was found.

The prosecution notified Birden and joined in a state court petition for a writ of habeas corpus requesting that the conviction be vacated. In March 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the writ and vacated the conviction. On April 29, 2015, the prosecution dismissed the charge.

– Maurice Possley

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Posting Date: 5/8/2015
State:Texas
County:Harris
Most Serious Crime:Drug Possession or Sale
Additional Convictions:
Reported Crime Date:2007
Convicted:2007
Exonerated:2015
Sentence:30 days
Race/Ethnicity:Black
Sex:Male
Age at the date of reported crime:23
Contributing Factors:False or Misleading Forensic Evidence
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:No