DURHAM, N.C. – A North Carolina prosecutor is dismissing the case against a man imprisoned for two decades before a judge threw out his murder convictions this week.
A judge vacated convictions and ordered Darryl Howard's release Wednesday because of DNA evidence unavailable at Howard's 1995 trial in the double-murder case.
The judge ruled DNA evidence shows Howard did not rape a woman and her teenage daughter. No other physical evidence connected him to the deaths.
The Durham District Attorney's office filed dismissal paperwork Friday.
Howard's case was originally handled by former prosecutor Mike Nifong, who was later disbarred for lying and misconduct in a case of rape accusations against Duke University lacrosse players who were later found innocent.
Innocence advocates are undertaking a massive review of convictions from Nifong's tenure.
