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Jacksonville city council to vote on allowing DNA testing in Ledell Lee case

The city council will potentially vote on whether to allow DNA testing after Ledell Lee was executed in April 2017 for the murder of Debra Reese.

JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — The Jacksonville City Council will potentially hold a meeting Friday evening to vote on allowing new DNA testing in the Ledell Lee case after his family filed a lawsuit requesting the testing.

Stephanie Friedman, Jacksonville's city attorney, asked for the special meeting after an amended request from the attorneys representing Lee's family.

The Innocence Project along with the ACLU and other attorneys originally requested for the release of DNA evidence for new testing and would "bear all costs" for it.

But Friedman disagreed with that request, citing that state law prevented the city from releasing it and said there was a possibility of the evidence being destroying, "further violating evidence retention laws."

The new proposed request would allow the City of Jacksonville to "maintain physical custody of all evidence" and the testing would be done at a neutral site agreed upon by both parties.

SIXTH DIVISION PATRICIA YOUNG, PLAINTIFF v. DEPARTMENT, THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS; JOSEPH MCCULLOUGH, in his individual CASE NO.

Lee was executed in April 2017 by the state of Arkansas for the 1993 murder of Debra Reese.

He maintained his innocence until his death.

RELATED: If innocent, Ledell Lee would be 1st wrongful execution in contemporary history

RELATED: Ledell Lee's family wants new DNA testing after his execution nearly 3 years ago

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