A defendant imprisoned for 30 years for rape and murder has lost his bid to overturn his conviction on the basis of what he claimed was newly discovered evidence.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice James A. Yates (See Profile) held that recent DNA test results on three hairs recovered at the crime scene and fingernail scrapings obtained from the murder victim failed to “establish or even create an inference beyond speculation” that some person other than Clifford Jones committed the crime.