According to media reports at the time, Davis served more than 30 years in prison for the August 1980 rape and murder of 3-year-old girl Brianna Stickle in downstate Rantoul. Davis’ nephew went back into the house, then came back outside with a handgun and shot Harmon, prosecutors allege. In the five months leading up to his trial, Andre was held in the Champaign County jail. Davis drove away with Harmon in the trunk and witnesses said he told them he was going to find somewhere to dump Harmon's body, said prosecutors at Davis' bond hearing. Prosecutors said the nephew went into the house and came back with a gun and shot Harmon. He described to the jury how he examined Andre's genitals after he was arrested. The next day, Davis told someone he cut Harmon’s throat, prosecutors said. And it was Don, not Andre, who was nervous when the police first arrived. DNA evidence overturned his conviction and he was released from prison in July 2012.
– Andre Davis served 32 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Now he might be going back for one that prosecutors say he did. As NBC Chicago explains, Davis served his lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of the 1980 rape and murder of a young girl, but he was released in 2012 after DNA evidence overturned the conviction. He had been a free man since—until this week, when he got arrested and charged with the kidnapping and murder of a 19-year-old, reports the Sun-Times. Police say the victim got into a fight with Davis' nephew during a house party, and the nephew shot him. According to prosecutors, witnesses say the victim was still alive when Davis put the teen into his trunk and said he would find a place to dump the body, reports the Chicago Tribune. He told another witness the next day that he cut the victim's throat, say prosecutors. Both he and his nephew have been charged, and Davis is once again behind bars awaiting trial. For an in-depth look at the original case, see the Chicago Reader. (Click to read about another man who spent three decades on death row before his exoneration.)