ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180060
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: Associated Press
Troy Lynn Webb went to prison seven years ago a bitter man, convicted of a rape and robbery he did not commit.
But he learned to let go of that rage, focusing his energy instead on working to prove his innocence.
Now that new DNA tests have shown he was telling the truth, Webb says he harbors no ill will toward the victim or the prosecutors who put him behind bars.
``I realize it can happen to anybody, not only me. Mistakes happen all the time,'' Webb said calmly Thursday, a day after Gov. George Allen granted him a full pardon.
Webb, 29, had been serving a 47-year sentence at Keen Mountain Correctional Center in Southwest Virginia for a 1988 rape.
He was convicted on the basis of serology tests, the most sophisticated tests available at the time. An analysis of a semen stain from the victim's underwear did not rule him out. The victim, a 25-year-old waitress, also identified Webb as her attacker.
Webb said he was angry the first four years he was incarcerated, but then he realized feeling that way was destructive.
``Somehow, one day I just said, I can't be bitter at everybody, because everybody didn't put me in here,'' Webb said.
He got his high school equivalency degree, studied Bible passages that gave him comfort, and used colored pencils and pastels to draw greeting cards. And he began working through the legal system to obtain his freedom. He lost an appeal, but never gave up hope.
In 1993, he wrote to The Innocence Project in New York, which uses DNA testing to free people who have been wrongfully convicted. Former O.J. Simpson defense attorney Barry Scheck, a project leader, served as Webb's attorney for no fee.
The project convinced the state to conduct the DNA test at no cost to Webb. The test eliminated Webb as the rapist.
The Innocence Project then asked Allen for an unconditional pardon. The Virginia Beach commonwealth's attorney office, which prosecuted Webb in 1989, joined in the request.
Webb found out about 11 a.m. Wednesday that he would be pardoned. He was happy, but remained calm. By 2 p.m., he was being driven home by prison officials.
He arrived at his mother's apartment in Virginia Beach about 11 p.m. Thirty family members were there to celebrate his return - including 11 nieces and nephews who were born while Webb was in prison. His mother cried, hugged him and told him she loved him.
When he finally went to bed, Webb slept fitfully. He would wake up every few minutes, wander over to the window, look outside and think, ``Am I really home? Is it over?''
Webb plans to relax the next few days, spend time with his family and ``try to catch back up on life.''
He also hopes to get a job. He has done landscaping and janitorial work, and Allen told Webb the state would try to help him find work.
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Webb. color.by CNB