DNA Frees Colo. Man Convicted of Murder

Source: Associated Press

Jan 22, 1:45 PM EST
DNA Frees Colo. Man Convicted of Murder

By P. SOLOMON BANDA
Associated Press Writer

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- A judge on Tuesday ordered the release of a man convicted of murder after DNA evidence pointed to another suspect.

Timothy Masters, 35, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1999, was ordered freed on a personal recognizance bond. Prosecutors promised to decide quickly whether to try him again.

New tests announced last week showed DNA found on the victim's clothing was not from Masters but from someone else. Applause broke out in the courtroom as the hearing ended, but Masters showed little emotion as he hugged members of his defense team.

In 1987, the manager at a woman's clothing store was found stabbed and sexually mutilated in a field south of Fort Collins, but police investigated for more than a decade before arresting Masters. He was 15 at the time the woman died and lived near the field where her body was found.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MURDER_CASE_REOPENED?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

It's high time.

"Masters' new attorneys have said detectives wrongly focused on Masters instead of other suspects.

During recent appeals, both the defense and special prosecutors assigned to the case said crucial information was withheld from Masters' trial lawyers."

Both sides have agreed that Masters was screwed by the DA in the original case, but "Prosecutors promised to decide quickly whether to try him again"? What prosecutors should be doing is bringing charges against those who conspired to railroad Masters to begin with. The penalties for this sort of official malfeasance ought to be identical to those imposed on the victim.

they wanted to make their careers on a high profile case no matter what.......and they did.

I just hope they are both prosecuted themselves for railroading this guy and then serve time themselves.

There was no physical evidence linking this guy/(kid then) to the crime except his 'disturbing drawings'. They ignored all other evidence that shifted suspicion to another guy who was a doctor in the area who had a history of sexual assault and sexual mutilation even though the coroner said the mutilation was done with 'medical precision'. DUH!!!!

I hope he sues Larimar County and the two prosecutors for millions.

Sheez. How can ANYBODY feel comfortable with capital punishment when a handful of these guys are being exonerated on a weekly/monthly basis, it seems? NOT ACCEPTABLE. :mad:

and we'd never know.
question is, how many we'll never know about have been put to death.

where do you go after a decade in prison? where is your job history, your retirement savings, your family?

the state can't give you the time back and being kept in prison for life is just as bad, maybe worse, if you are not on death row and are instead in the general population being constantly raped and fucked with

this is about more than the death penalty, it's about the whole idea of the jury trial DOES NOT WORK, the system is broken, a jury of people with no expertise or knowledge making decisions to take away someone's freedom for years is simply wrong and evil

with rape and murder, there is DNA and there is some hope of clearing yourself

ask yourself how many people are falsely convicted of drug crimes or of property crimes for which there is no DNA evidence, ask yourself how many eyewitnesses are mistaken or somebody lies out of pettiness and there is NO way to clear yourself and get your life back

the jury trial system stinks, it doesn't work, it was a mistake

deciding everything?

The problem is NOT with the jurors. The problem is with prosecutors and judges, and with the justice system itself, which fails to provide the poor with adequate counsel, and feeds off high incarceration rates (the "prison-industrial" complex). Juries provide an important "check and balance" on wrongful prosecution, and are a thousand-year old institution created to prevent autocratic prosecution, and written into our Constitution for that purpose. It is vitally important to have citizen in-put/oversight in the justice system. But with the system gone so far toward corruption, politicalization and unfair advantage to the rich, vast injustice is being committed. Juries have to work with the evidence and arguments presented. Garbage in/garbage out is the problem.

The play we're doing next month is "The Exonerated", based on true life stories of just this kind of thing. Its amazing how much this happens, and amazing that people can still be FOR the death penalty, when faced with this evidence of the very human (and/or evil) tendency to make mistakes.

good luck with your production....i have not had an an oppoortunity to see it but friends have said it;s excrutiating at times.
(meaning that in a 'good' way. i guess. it's memorable.

I've read it, and its very emotional, very painful.
And I've watched some of the rehearsal - its going to be a hard thing to watch.
One of the things that I like about the production (and I don't know if this is everywhere, or just at our theater) is that it will be done with the audience circling the performers - almost forcing them to really face the issue.