Wrongfully convicted of murder, freed after 27 years
NEW YORK -- A man whose conviction was overturned in the 1988 killing of two friends was freed Monday from a New York prison.
State Supreme Court Justice Desmond Green last week ordered Shabaka Shakur released after 27 years.
Green ruled that there was a "reasonable probability" that Shakur's confession was fabricated and granted him a retrial. However, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson decided not to retry Shakur.
The case is one of many involving retired detective Louis Scarcella that have come under scrutiny. Scarcella has denied any wrongdoing.
Shakur, 50, had anticipated getting out as soon as last Friday, but the New York Daily News reports that a paperwork problem delayed his release.