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James Lee Woodard
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Exonerated ex-inmate dies behind bars
Released in 2008 for alleged rape of girlfriend
Updated: Tuesday, 16 Oct 2012, 5:00 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 16 Oct 2012, 5:00 PM CDT
DALLAS (AP/KXAN) - Just before he walked out of a courtroom four years ago, James Lee Woodard said the first thing he wanted to do after 27 years behind bars was take a breath as a free man.
But he would die in custody.
Woodard died Monday after suffering a seizure while in the Dallas County jail. The 60-year-old Woodard had been arrested in August after officers in suburban Dallas said they found him in possession of cocaine.
Woodard was exonerated in 2008 for the 1980 rape and murder of his girlfriend after years of efforts and failed pleas for testing.
He worked with the Innocence Project of Texas in the years after his death, but struggled with seizures and legal problems.
The Innocence Project was instrumental in obtaining the release of Michael Morton in Williamson County on Oct. 4, 2011, after he was wrongfully jailed for 25 years for the murder of his wife, Christine Morton.
Advocates say his effort will be missed.
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