In 1979 a white woman, the owner of an antique store, was grabbed from behind by a black man and taken into the back where she was raped with a gun to her head. In 1980, Malcolm Alexander had consensual sex with a white woman who then accused him of sexual assault. Because of this, his photo was placed in a line up for the 1979 crime. The victim was shown these pictures over a period of four months and picked Alexander's picture, but was not quite sure about her choice, as her assailant remained behind her for the attack. The rape kit and a semen-stained towel that had been found at the scene had been destroyed four years after Alexander's conviction. Hair evidence was finally found from the rape in 1979 and tested, the DNA did not match that of Alexander. His conviction was vacated and he was released.