Frank O’Connell, incarcerated the last 27 years for a murder he always maintained he didn’t commit, will likely be released from prison after a judge granted him bail last Friday. O’Connell, 54, a former Glendora High School football star, always proclaimed his innocence for the murder that sent him to prison for life in 1985.
O’Connell was convicted largely on the testimony of eyewitnesses, yet the prosecution’s key witness recanted his testimony last year saying that he never properly saw the killer and felt pressured to make an identification. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled last month that O’Connell should be given a new trial. The judge found that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department failed to disclose records pointing to another suspect and may have improperly influenced witnesses. The district attorney’ office is expected to announce whether they will retry O’Connell at a hearing set for May 18th.
Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times here.
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