A True-Crime Star’s Lurid Claims Sent a Man to Die. Her Key Witness Just Recanted.
The DNA expert at Jeff Prible’s trial accuses then-prosecutor Kelly Siegler of using his testimony in an “inflammatory” way. The post A True-Crime Star’s Lurid Claims Sent a Man to Die. Her Key Witness Just Recanted. appeared first on The Intercept .
William Watson, a DNA expert who provided testimony that contributed to the conviction of Jeffrey Prible for the 1999 murder of Steve Herrera and Nilda Tirado in Houston, Texas, has recently recanted his earlier opinion. In a court filing from August 28, Watson revealed that new scientific knowledge and changes in his field have led him to believe that his earlier testimony was insufficient.
He stated that if he were to testify today, his answers would be more detailed and nuanced, and that he would not provide the same testimony as before. Watson also accused Harris County prosecutors, specifically Assistant District Attorney Kelly Siegler, of misrepresenting his testimony during both the opening and closing statements of the trial.
Prible was accused of murdering Herrera and Tirado, who were found dead at their home in North Houston. While there was no solid evidence tying Prible to the scene, his DNA was found on Tirado's mouth, leading Siegler to claim that Prible forced her to perform oral sex on him at gunpoint before killing her. This claim was central to his conviction.
However, Watson's new recantation casts doubt on the validity of this claim and Prible's death sentence.
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