William Bumpus Exonerated After 15 Years in Connection with Landmark Digital Evidence Case
(LOS ANGELES) - A California appeals court has formally exonerated William Bumpus today, overturning a 2009 conviction for financial fraud after new analysis found the digital evidence used against him was improperly obtained and corrupted. In a 3-0 ruling, the court determined that the original trial’s reliance on a flawed metadata report from a forensics firm violated Bumpus’s right to a fair trial. The 47-year-old former accountant, who served more than a decade, was released from custody this morning. Why the error persisted for years remains under investigation, but legal experts say the decision could set a precedent for the admissibility of digital evidence in financial cases nationwide.