Inmate Freed After 21 Years In Prison
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A San Francisco man whose murder conviction was overturned has been ordered released from prison.
A judge ruled Friday that 43-year-old Maurice Caldwell be set free after prosecutors who wanted to retry him discovered evidence in the case had been destroyed.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Charles Haines said that evidence was needed to assure Caldwell a fair trial.
Caldwell had spent 21 years behind bars in the fatal 1990 shooting of Judy Acosta when Haines overturned his conviction last year. Haines said Caldwell had not received an effective defense.
Acosta was allegedly shot over a drug deal gone bad at a San Francisco public housing project.
Acosta's cousin, Raelyn, tells the San Francisco Chronicle that the family still believes Caldwell is guilty.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
