Articles
Man Convicted of Gruesome Murder Freed on DNA Evidence
On Tuesday, a judge granted the release of a man who served nine years of a life sentence for the gruesome 1987 murder of a Colorado woman.
Timothy Masters, 35, was convicted of stabbing to death and mutilating the body of Peggy Hettrick, despite a lack of physical evidence in the case. Since his conviction, Masters has maintained his innocence.
Special Prosecutor Investigates
Special prosecutor Don Quick was assigned to the case and in hearings last year discovered the attorneys who prosecuted the case in 1999 had withheld evidence that could have benefited the defense.
DNA evidence was not available at the time, but tests were conducted recently that implicated another suspect, not Masters.
“The presence of DNA on the clothing of Ms. Hettrick at the time of her murder was consistent with the alternative suspect and inconsistent with Mr. Masters,” said Quick, who filed a motion to have the charges against Masters dropped.
At a news conference after the hearing, Masters said he felt “overwhelmed.”
“I want to go see my family,” he said.
(Source: New York Times)
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