DNA tests free Drew Whitley who was framed by the cops for murder and unjustly spent 18 years in prison! Original Article April 25, 2006, 9:51PM Man to Be Freed After Serving 18 Years By RAMESH SANTANAM Associated Press Writer 2006 The Associated Press PITTSBURGH A man imprisoned 18 years in the fatal shooting of a McDonald's restaurant manager will be freed because DNA tests show he didn't commit the crime, officials said Tuesday. Drew Whitley, now 50, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in the 1988 slaying. But officials said the DNA tests show that hairs from the killer's mask and hat did not come from him. "I am thrilled with the results," defense attorney Scott Coffey said Tuesday. "I am thrilled he is going home." District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said he has asked that the life sentence be vacated. The restaurant manager, 22-year-old Noreen Malloy, was shot to death outside her workplace in Duquesne, a small city about 13 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The hair evidence, thought to have been lost or destroyed, was found in July in storage and submitted for DNA tests. Final results were received by prosecutors Tuesday. Soon after the shooting, a witness identified Whitley, and at the 1989 trial a crime lab technician said 41 hairs found in the stocking mask resembled Whitley's hair. DNA testing was not available at the time. Police also recovered a bloodstained coat, hat and shoes, and the mask was found in a parking lot near the crime scene. Blood on the shoes matched Whitley's blood type. Whitley has always maintained his innocence, Coffey said. http://www.wpxi.com/news/8990801/detail.html DNA Evidence Could Clear Local Convict Hairs Found On Mask Are Not Suspect's POSTED: 3:14 pm EDT April 25, 2006 WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. -- DNA evidence showed a West Mifflin man convicted of killing a McDonald's manager may not have committed the crime. Prosecutors said hairs found in a nylon mask worn by the man who shot Noreen Malloy in 1988 do not belong to Drew Whitley. Whitley was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. He has been granted a new trial. But, Malloy's attorney expects him to walk free on Monday. Now, Whitley's family is eagerly awaiting his release. http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_116072207.html Man Could Go Free Because Of DNA Evidence Save It E-mail It Print It (KDKA) PITTSBURGH Another local man could be walking free from prison because of new DNA evidence. Drew Whitley has spent more than a decade behind bars, accused of murdering a woman at the McDonalds near Kennywood. But DNA testing reveals that the hairs found on the evidence do not match Whitley. His attorney, Scott Coffey says Whitley is in shock at the new developments. He was packing up yesterday, in anticipation of being released from prison. He probably will move to the Allegheny County Jail today, and could be a free man after a hearing on Monday.