Robert Dewey: DNA testing to exonerate Colorado man of rape, murder (VIDEO)

New DNA analysis is said to have exonerated Colorado man Robert Dewey of the rape and murder of Jacie Taylor, for which he has spent 16 years behind bars.

Dewey, 51, was sentenced to life in prison for raping and strangling a Palisade woman in 1994, according to Fox31 Denver. He is expected to be released at a hearing today in Mesa County because of the new analysis, which was performed on DNA found in a bloodstain at the crime scene.

In 1996, Dewey was convicted of the rape and murder of 19-year-old Jacie Taylor, who was found in her bathtub beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled with a dog leash, reported MSNC. He is scheduled to appear before a Colorado judge today in Grand Junction for a post-conviction hearing.

An email was sent Thursday by Bert Nieslanik, head of the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel in Mesa County, to Grand Valley defense attorneys, saying the exoneration will be discussed in a news conference expected today at 10 a.m. local time, according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Dewey has always maintained his innocence, and is expected to be released from prison today, said the email.

Dewey's case was reviewed in 2010 by the DNA Justice Review Project — run by the Colorado Attorney General's office and the Denver District Attorney — through a grant of more than $1.2 million, said Colorado's 9News. The grant is being used to pay for the review of DNA in 5,100 cases involving forcible rape, murder and manslaughter. If Dewey is released today, he will be the first exonerated by the project.

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