BANFIELD: Thousand of rape evidence kits that have sat untouched in Texas for decades are finally going to be tested. "The Texas Tribune" is reporting that this is thanks to $11 million that has been set aside in Texas for the Department of Public Safety to analyze the DNA evidence they collected. It's estimated that between 16,000 and 20,000 kits are sitting untested in that state. Nationwide, it's awful. There are about 400,000 of those kits. She made national headlines more than quarter of a century ago but she's now only beginning to pay for her wrong doings. If the name Tawana Brawley sounds familiar, it should. She was 15 years old when she falsely accused a group of white mean, including a police officer and D.A. in New York, of raping her. And not just raping her but scrawling racial terms on her body and leaving her in a trash bag. That's the Reverend Al Sharpton you see beside her. Way back then, he was and up-and-coming street activist, and he famously took up her call and called for racial justice for Tawana.</s>AL SHARPTON, ACTIVIST: Ms. Brawley, the victim, identified him. And Miss Brawley's family said that. She's been in public and private gatherings where it's been discussed. There's no evidence to the contrary.</s>BANFIELD: It turns out it was all a hoax. Tawana Brawley had lied to avoid getting in trouble. She was sued for defamation. For 26 years, she hadn't paid a dime of the $400,000 judgment against her. Last week, that changed. She made her first payment. She could end up paying for the rest of her life. But the man who won the suit says he will forgive her if she will apologize and officially clear his name. That's all the time that we have on this program. Thank you so much for watching. AROUND THE WORLD starts after this short break.
Tawana Brawley Rape, Racial Insult a Hoax.