Shawn Tanner spent 34 years in prison for a murder he claimed he didn’t commit. His case has sparked debate over posthumous exonerations through DNA testing. A Massachusetts court recently ruled that a valid order to conduct post-conviction DNA testing does not automatically expire after a defendant’s death, paving the way for potentially new evidence.
Tanner was arrested in 1988 and convicted of murdering Mary Harris. His lawyers argued that prosecutors relied on questionable forensic techniques and a key witness who claimed Tanner confessed to the crime. However, DNA testing could provide clarity.
The case has drawn parallels with another infamous serial killer case in Massachusetts, where at least nine women were murdered between 1988 and 1990. The victims’ families have long pressed for answers, and some have taken up Tanner’s cause.
While it’s uncertain whether new evidence will prove Tanner’s innocence, his family hopes to find some closure. “Even though he’s passed, his family deserves an answer,” said Jill Paiva, whose mother was one of the victims.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of Tanner, noting that there is a “societal interest” in these results due to the unsolved serial murders case. The court decision will allow for further investigation and potentially lead to new discoveries that could shed light on Tanner’s case.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/03/16/dna-testing-dead-convicted-murder