A Lawrence Journal-World series that identified the existence of DNA evidence in a decades-old rape case, leading to charges against a suspect, won honorable mention in The Associated Press Media Editors’ Journalism Excellence Awards, the organization has announced.

Reporter Shaun Hittle’s work, and photographs and videos by photographers Kevin Anderson and Nick Krug, told the story of Joe Jones, of Topeka, who was wrongly convicted in the 1985 rape case. Twenty years after his release from prison, Jones struggled to reintegrate with society.

The Journal-World’s reporting prompted the Topeka police department to reopen the case, leading to charges against another suspect, Joel Russell, and giving both Jones and the crime’s victim a sense of closure. It is unclear if prosecutors will be able to convict Russell, given the statute of limitations.

The series, “Unraveling a Rape Case,” won honorable mention for newspapers with a circulation under 40,000 in the digital storytelling and reporting category, as well as the public service category. Other winners in those categories included The New York Times, USA Today, the Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press and the Roanoke (Va.) Times.

Click here for more on the Joe Jones case.