As for Osborne himself, he was paroled in 2007 after serving 14 years on the rape case. Six months later, he was arrested on new charges stemming from a home invasion robbery. In January, he agreed to a plea deal that calls for another 16 years in prison.

He's 36 years old and has been incarcerated most of his adult life. He never expected his request for a DNA test to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. He doesn't expect that it will make much difference for him.

"I just hope it helps somebody, somewhere down the line, somehow," he said in a jailhouse interview.