Breaking News: Attorney General: No DNA evidence linking accused killer to scene

Marc Dann's office made the determination after finishing years of testing on samples of DNA collected from the 1982 killing of northwest Ohio postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger.
The findings confirm what has long been believed about the lack of a DNA match connecting John Spirko to the crime, said Dann spokesman Leo Jennings.
"None of Spirko's DNA matches any DNA at the crime scene," Jennings said Thursday. "It doesn't mean he's guilty and it doesn't mean he's innocent." The news was first reported Thursday on the Web site of The Columbus Dispatch.
Spirko, 61, was convicted based on witness statements and his own comments to investigators.
He previously received seven reprieves while the testing was done, a record under the state's new death penalty law.
Spirko, who has a Jan. 24 execution date, has requested clemency from Gov. Ted Strickland. The governor is considering the request as he does all requests for clemency from death row inmates, spokesman Keith Daily said.
"The governor judges each case based on the given facts and circumstances uniquely," he said.
Strickland has allowed two executions since taking office a year ago.
Spirko's attorney said Thursday Strickland should grant a full pardon and release Spirko from prison.

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