Charles Fain was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1982. He moves toward justice today

Nearly 20 years after he was freed from Idaho’s death row, a man wrongfully convicted of a 1982 murder in Nampa took another step forward.

On Tuesday, the Idaho Innocence Project at Boise State University announced a certificate of innocence was signed for Charles Fain, a man who was wrongfully convicted in the murder of 9-year-old Daralyn Johnson in 1982. The Idaho Innocence Project announced a stipulated agreement was reached with the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.

The agreement means Fain is officially declared innocent of the murder and stipulated he is entitled to financial compensation for the wrongful conviction.

“Charles Fain is a decent man who began a terrible nightmare almost 40 years ago. The people of Idaho have declared him innocent today,” said Greg Hampikian, IIP director, in a news release.

The IIP worked with Stoel Rives attorneys Wendy Olson, a former Idaho U.S. Attorney, and Andrea Carone to secure the certificate of innocence.

Fain was convicted in connection with the sexual assault and murder of Johnson, and he spent 18 years on death row. He was released from prison in 2001 after a DNA test of hair evidence excluded him as a suspect in the killing. Fain entered prison at age 34 and left at age 52.

In 2019, Hampikian suggested the use of a new technique involving old DNA samples, which provided genealogical data and helped police identify a new suspect.

On May 4, 2020, Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue announced charges against David Dalrymple for Johnson’s murder.

Earlier this year, Senate Bill 1027, also known as the Idaho Wrongful Conviction Act, was signed into law. The bill included a fixed sum amount for every year someone wrongfully spent in prison. An exonoree on death row could receive $75,000 per year behind bars.

Idaho was the 36th state to pass such legislation, according to the Innocence Project.