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The Innocence Project: Christopher Abernathy

Ada Cobbs

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The Story

Background Information, Crime Description, Arrest, and Exonerees Story

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Background Information

Name of exoneree: Christopher Abernathy (17)

Race of exoneree: White

State of crime/trial: Cook, Illinois

Year of crime/trial:

crime: 1984,

convicted: 1987,

exonerated: 2015

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The Crime & After

In 1984, high schooler, Kristina Hickey, was walking home from a choir concert and never came home. She was found dead, with stab wounds and there was reason to believe she had been raped.

After she was found, there was a memorial service that was hosted with many teenage guests. Among those guests were Christopher Abernathy and Allan Dennis.

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The Arrest

Police had heard from his “friend” Allan Dennis who said that he heard Abernathy confess. Someone had also heard Abernathy reference having a gun in his car, but that wasn’t a primary concern. While he was being interviewed he eventually signed a paper confessing to the crime, saying that he saw her walking home and wanted to sleep with her, and when she didn't reciprocate the feelings he killed her.

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Exonerees Story

Aberhanthy was a high-school dropout who was previously romantically involved with the victim. He showed up at her funeral drunk and made jokes about having a gun in his car for a 21 gun salute. Nothing placed him as a suspect, at the crime scene, or concerning except for the kid who claimed that he heard that Abernathy did it.

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Evidence to Convict

Confessions, Informants, and Conviction

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False Confessions

Abernathy was coerced into signing a paper admitting to the crime. Abernathy had frequently talked about wanting to see his mom while in custody, so the police said he could see his mom if he signed the paper.

�Abernathy and his mother were extremely close. He heavily relied on her in his everyday life prior to his arrest, and she visited him roughly 1,000 times while he was in jail. She always kept hope that he would come home.

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Informant

Allan Dennis was an acquaintance of Abernathy's and he lied about hearing Abernathy confess. He later on admitted that he never heard it.

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The Conviction

Year of conviction: 1987

Conviction Charges: rape, murder

Sentence: life without parole

There’s a possibility it would’ve been a worse sentence if he wasn’t 17.

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The Exoneration

Details, Results, Legalities

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The Exoneration

In August 2014, there was an order sent out to compare DNA. There were 8 items tested, Abernathy didn’t appear on any of them. The items were a vaginal swab, clothing of the victim and her purse. Although Abernathy wasn’t found on any, there was some DNA found on all 8 items. It wasn’t enough to figure out who actually did it, but it was enough to rule Abernathy out.