Joel Terry
Joel Terry was convicted in 2019 on multiple counts of raping his daughter. At his trial, the prosecution introduced DNA evidence consistent with a male. The DNA results could not conclusively point to Joel but the state’s case relied on those results and ‘SANE’ nurse testimony to get the convictions.
In 2025, the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) paid $6000 for new, more advanced DNA testing on the sample. Those results totally excluded Joel as the contributor of the semen.
Joel’s attorney filed a motion for new trial based on the new evidence. In addition to the DNA results, a 2018 Ohio Jobs & Family Services report surfaced indicating that the victim was still being abused. This report was written months after Terry was arrested and jailed.
In spite of this new evidence, the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office & CIU filed a motion objecting to the new trial. They claimed that the DNA testing was not a significant piece of evidence in Terry’s trial . . .
On November 14, 2025, Judge Lindsea Navarre granted Joel Terry’s motion for new trial.
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