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Murder Case Against Man Imprisoned For 32 Years Dismissed

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — A Los Angeles judge has ordered the release of a man who spent more than three decades in prison for murder after prosecutors conceded he did not get a fair trial.

The district attorney's office said during a hearing Wednesday in Superior Court that there were errors in the case against 62-year-old Andrew Wilson.

Judge Laura Priver granted a motion to dismiss the case.

Wilson quietly said "Thank you" to the judge, who replied, "You are welcome Mr. Wilson."

Outside the courthouse, Wilson's attorney's were jubilant.

"I'm so happy!" Paula Mitchell with the Loyola Law School Innocence Project said. "I believe strongly in Mr. Wilson's innocence and I know we're going to help him get the rest of the way with the innocence finding. He did not do this crime and I'll do everything I can to help the LAPD find who did it."

He has maintained his innocence since his arrest in 1984 for the fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Christopher Hanson in Los Angeles.

A bailiff released Wilson immediately from handcuffs, but he's not expected to be processed out of custody until later Wednesday or Thursday.

Another hearing will be held to determine whether he is factually innocent.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has said it will not re-try Wilson.

Wilson says he plans to return to St. Louis to spend time with his mother, Margie Davis, who will turn 97 on May 1.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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