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Conviction Overturned After 20 Years In Prison

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge has overturned the murder conviction of a man who spent 20 years behind bars after numerous witnesses recanted their identification of him as the killer in a drive-by shooting.

The Los Angeles Times says Francisco "Franky" Carrillo is expected to be released from Los Angeles County Jail on Tuesday. Carrillo was convicted in 1991 but had always insisted he was innocent.

The judge made the decision after more than a week of testimony and a reconstruction of the crime scene that raised questions about what the witnesses could have seen on the night of the shooting.

Five of the six witnesses who identified Carrillo during his trial recanted last week.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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