Governor pardons man cleared of DuPage rape

SPRINGFIELD - Marcus Lyons, wrongfully convicted and sent to prison for raping a DuPage County woman 20 years ago, has been pardoned by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the final act to clear Lyons' name after DNA evidence exonerated him.

Last year, DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett, who helped send Lyons to prison, dropped all charges after new DNA results from old crime-scene evidence did not match Lyons.

The only physical evidence that authorities had to work with in the 1987 Woodridge rape case was a semen stain on the victim's bra. It was too small of a sample to be tested by the technology available at the time.

The woman, though, told police she got a good look at her attacker.

Detectives identified Lyons, who lived nearby, as a suspect largely because he matched the composite sketch. She later identified him in a police lineup. Police also said Lyons gave differing versions of his whereabouts.

In 1988, a DuPage County jury convicted Lyons of criminal sexual assault and unlawful restraint.

A judge sentenced him to six years in prison. He was paroled in 1991 after serving nearly three years. He never appealed, but in 2006 his attorney filed a request for new DNA testing.

Those results cleared him and Birkett dropped the charges.

Blagojevich issued the pardon, one of 22 announced Friday evening, without commenting on any specific case.