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Man released from prison to learn if he’ll face second trial

Posted at 3:49 AM, Jun 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-01 03:49:57-04

DETROIT (AP) — A man cleared of murder after 25 years in prison is returning to a Detroit courtroom to learn if prosecutors will drop the case.

Desmond Ricks had argued that he was framed by Detroit police. His conviction was set aside last week after an examination of two bullets showed they couldn’t be connected to a gun that was presented as the murder weapon in 1992.

Prosecutors are expected to disclose their next step Thursday. With gun evidence thrown out and a trial witness recanting, a second trial appears unlikely.

Ricks’ case was reopened at the request of the Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school. A gun expert said bullets taken from the victim weren’t the ones that he was asked to analyze in 1992.