1993 Murder Conviction Overturned By State Supreme Court

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — William Richards has been in prison for more than 20 years, convicted in the 1993 murder of his wife Pamela.

The California Supreme Court has now overturned his conviction, and it all hinged on a crescent-shaped lesion found on his wife's right hand.

At his trial, the prosecution brought in a renowned forensic dentist, Norman Sperber, who told the jury he believed the mark on Pamela Richard's hand was made by her husband's teeth.

We interviewed Sperber when he first reported this story back in 2011.

(So in your professional opinion, there is no way William Richards could have put that bite mark on his wife's hand?) "That's correct," Sperber said.

Sperber told us he based his original testimony on a photograph which distorted the dimensions of the bite mark.

Years later, when the Innoncence Project showed him a corrected photo, he came to a different conclusion.

"His teeth could not have made those marks," Sperber said.

In its decision released Thursday, the California Supreme Court ruled: "It is reasonably probable that the false evidence presented by Dr. Sperber at Petitioner's 1997 jury trial affected the outcome of that preceeding,"

And with that, the court overturned his conviction.

Our legal analyst Steve Meister says, with its decision, the Supreme Court is sending a message to the District Attorney's Office.

"Excluding the repudiated testimony about the bite mark, the DA has nothing more than the defense has which doesn't add up to proof beyond a reasonable doubt," Meister said.

But the case isn't over yet; the San Bernardino County District Attorney could choose to try the case all over again.

On Friday, the DA offered this written statement:

"Based on the reversal, our office is currently reviewing the matter in order to determine the appropriate course of action."

In the meantime, Williams Richards will remain in custody after spending 8,302 days behind bars already.