LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- A man who has spent 13 years in prison for murder is being released after prosecutors decided he is innocent of the crime.
Commonwealth's Attorney David Stengel held a news conference Monday afternoon to discuss the order to vacate Kerry Porter's conviction and release him immediately.
Stengel says the case has been re-opened and another man is a suspect in the murder.
When Porter said he didn't kill Tyrone Camp in December of 1996, the jury didn't believe him. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison and even failed to win an appeal.
That's until a police interview conducted more than a year ago surfaced and drastically changed his case. The March 2010 comments of Francois Cunningham, a hired killer who cut a deal to testify as a government witness against Ricky Kelly, made the difference. That was a separate case, in which Kelly was charged with eight murders.
Cunningham's statement was sealed as part of witness protection and just recently released. He told police that Juan Sanders plotted with Camp's wife Cecilia and killed Tyrone for life insurance money: "She don't want him no more and, you know, better him go down for it than us."
Porter said the same thing during his trial, but Cunningham knew details that were never released. The shotgun used to kill Camp was muffled with a silencer made of duct tape and carpet. Both were found at the murder scene and have been sent off for testing.
Officials now believe Porter was a pawn, as he had a previous relationship with Camp's wife.
Melanie Lowe of the Kentucky Dept. of Public Advocacy has been working to overturn the conviction and says, "He's excited about the prospect that this nightmare could be over soon." She's critical of police because they never told her of Cunningham's interview, which backs Porter's story.
LMPD Sgt. Denny Butler says, "Should I have called them? Absolutely, and that slipped at the end. But the claim that we have done something wrong or prosecutors have done something wrong couldn't be further from the truth."
Cecilia Camp and Juan Sanders have not been charged, although Sanders is currently serving time on an unrelated manslaughter and drug charge.
Commonwealth's Attorney David Stengel held a news conference Monday afternoon to discuss the order to vacate Kerry Porter's conviction and release him immediately.
Stengel says the case has been re-opened and another man is a suspect in the murder.
When Porter said he didn't kill Tyrone Camp in December of 1996, the jury didn't believe him. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison and even failed to win an appeal.
That's until a police interview conducted more than a year ago surfaced and drastically changed his case. The March 2010 comments of Francois Cunningham, a hired killer who cut a deal to testify as a government witness against Ricky Kelly, made the difference. That was a separate case, in which Kelly was charged with eight murders.
Cunningham's statement was sealed as part of witness protection and just recently released. He told police that Juan Sanders plotted with Camp's wife Cecilia and killed Tyrone for life insurance money: "She don't want him no more and, you know, better him go down for it than us."
Porter said the same thing during his trial, but Cunningham knew details that were never released. The shotgun used to kill Camp was muffled with a silencer made of duct tape and carpet. Both were found at the murder scene and have been sent off for testing.
Officials now believe Porter was a pawn, as he had a previous relationship with Camp's wife.
Melanie Lowe of the Kentucky Dept. of Public Advocacy has been working to overturn the conviction and says, "He's excited about the prospect that this nightmare could be over soon." She's critical of police because they never told her of Cunningham's interview, which backs Porter's story.
LMPD Sgt. Denny Butler says, "Should I have called them? Absolutely, and that slipped at the end. But the claim that we have done something wrong or prosecutors have done something wrong couldn't be further from the truth."
Cecilia Camp and Juan Sanders have not been charged, although Sanders is currently serving time on an unrelated manslaughter and drug charge.