Daryl Kelly's Daughter Recants Rape Claim, DA Still Says He's Guilty
Daryl Kelly is still serving his prison sentence of 20 to 40 years for rape despite his daughter recanting her testimony. Chaneya Kelly said that her mother forced her to lie about her father sexually assaulting her when she was 9, but the District Attorney's office has upheld the conviction.
Daryl Kelly, his wife Charade and his five children were living in Newburgh in 1997 when Chaneya lied about her father raping her. She said that her mother, who was a drug-addicted prostitute at the time, pressured her to lie.
"She repeatedly asked me, has my dad touched me," Chaneya told NBC news. "I was like, 'What do you mean, did he touch me?' And she was like, 'Did he touch you in your no-no spot?' And I would repeatedly say no."
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After denying it, her mother got upset and told Chaneya "if you don't tell me the answer that I want to hear, I'm going to beat you." 9-year-old Chaneya acquiesced and said her father molested her.
Oct. 29, 1997, police questioned Chaneya, who again said her father raped her. However, authorities found no DNA evidence on her person and her hymen was intact. Daryl denied the accusations, but a jury found him guilty anyway. He was charged with multiple counts of rape and sodomy.
However, six months later, both daughter and mother recanted their testimonies, admitting that they made it all up. Charade Kelly to this day can't remember why exactly she was so bent on having her husband arrested.
"I [had been] gone for three days. And I was really deep in the grip of my addiction," she told NBC News. "I have no idea (why I made Chaneya lie), I really don't."
Despite the admissions from mother and daughter, prosecutor Frank Phillips of the Orange County District Attorney's office said that the decision should stand because a jury found Daryl Kelly guilty.
"The system says he's not innocent, that the credibility of Chaneya was tested, that the issues surrounding her testimony back in 1998 were addressed," Phillips said.
He also supposed that Chaneya, who is now 24 years old, could be lying simply to have her father freed. Phillips said it's "not unique" to have a victim of rape want to protect their accuser.
"It's part of a dynamic that we deal with. Whether it's sex crimes or crimes of domestic violence, that is not unusual," he added.
Daryl Kelly, who turned down a plea deal and has always maintained his innocence, has long since forgiven Chaneya. He has also filed multiple appeals, all of which have been denied.
"This fight will never end," he said. "I will continue to fight for this. This is my reputation. This is my decree. This is the truth. It's not just for me. It's for my daughter as well."
