|
|
| Death row inmate acquitted a decade later |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 02/23/2004 |
|
A prisoner taken off death row after a judge ruled prosecutors withheld key evidence in his murder trial was found not guilty last Wednesday in a second trial. Alan Gell, 28, has spent a decade behind bars in the 1995 murder of retired truck driver Allen Ray Jenkins, who was shot twice during a robbery. After the verdict, Gell hugged his attorneys and his mother wept in the courtroom. He was immediately allowed to go free. When asked what he was going to do, he responded: "Go home, where I should have been years ago." Later, at the Lewiston, N.C. home of his mother and stepfather, he said: "I'm actually kind of confused. I had long-term plans, but I didn't have short-term plans." The case has led to calls for North Carolina to impose a moratorium on executions, and the verdict likely will fuel the debate. Prosecutors who handled Gell's retrial were not seeking the death penalty, but Gell faced an automatic life term if convicted. Prosecutors left court without comment. Attorney General Roy Cooper released a statement saying he was "confident that a thorough presentation of the evidence was made" by both sides. "The jury has spoken and we respect its decision," Cooper said. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think