Current:Home > reviewsNovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Man freed after nearly 40 years in prison after murder conviction in 1984 fire is reversed -Capitatum
NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Man freed after nearly 40 years in prison after murder conviction in 1984 fire is reversed
SignalHub View
Date:2025-04-06 07:42:56
PHILADEPHIA (AP) — A man has been freed after spending nearly four decades in prison on NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centera murder conviction in a 1984 Philadelphia fire attributed to arson under standards that prosecutors said would not support a conviction today.
Harold Staten, 71, was convicted in 1986 of setting an early morning fire that killed a man in a north Philadelphia row house in October 1984. Authorities said four men escaped by jumping from second-floor windows and Charles Harris later died of burns at a hospital. Staten was convicted of arson and second-degree murder and sentenced to life.
Assistant District Attorney Carrie Wood of the Philadelphia prosecutor’s office conviction integrity unit cited “substantial changes in fire science” and a report from a former federal agent and fire investigator that led officials to conclude that “there is little credible information that could stand up his murder conviction today.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that after prosecutors on Monday cited flawed science and conflicting testimony in recommending reversal of the verdict, Common Pleas Court Judge Scott DiClaudio vacated Staten’s 1986 guilty verdict and ended his sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.
Staten, who has spent more than half of his life in prison, burst into tears at the judge’s decision, lowering his face into his hands, the newspaper reported. His son, Harold DeBose, exclaimed “Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah,” an Arabic phrase meaning ”Praise be to God.”
DeBose, who was a teenager when his dad went to prison, said before his father’s release Monday night that he wanted his father to hug his granddaughter and his great-grandson, and then he wants to help guide him into a world that has changed so much during his decades in prison, the Inquirer reported.
The case was revived by attorneys for the Pennsylvania Innocence Project who cited advances in fire investigation technology. Prosecutors in Staten’s original trial alleged that he started the fire after a dispute, but a chemical analysis of samples taken from the home later showed no trace of accelerant.
District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement that “due to the passage of time, we unfortunately may never know how the fire began that killed Charles Harris nearly four decades ago.”
veryGood! (7311)
Related
- IOC's decision to separate speed climbing from other disciplines paying off
- 'The Dynasty' Apple TV docuseries goes behind scenes of New England Patriots' six Super Bowls
- Kansas City mom charged after she 'accidentally placed' baby in oven, prosecutors say
- Jon Stewart’s return to ‘The Daily Show’ felt familiar to those who missed him while he was away
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- These 'America's Next Top Model' stars reunited at Pamella Roland's NYFW show: See photos
- Nebraska governor reverses course and says state will take federal funding to feed children
- North Carolina man won $212,500 from lottery game: 'I had to sit down just to breathe'
- PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day Wednesday August 7, 2024
- Caitlin Clark goes for NCAA women's scoring record Thursday vs. Michigan
Ranking
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Idaho residents on alert after 2 mountain lions spotted at least 17 times this year
- These 'America's Next Top Model' stars reunited at Pamella Roland's NYFW show: See photos
- Jon Stewart is back at his 'Daily Show' desk: The king has returned
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce pack on the PDA. We can't stop watching.
- Horoscopes Today, February 13, 2024
- Google Pixel Guided Frame Super Bowl ad highlights importance of accessibility
Recommendation
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
My Big Fat Fabolous Life's Whitney Way Thore Reveals 100-Pound Weight Loss Transformation
Inflation ran hotter than expected in January, complicating the Fed's rate decision
Super Bowl overtime means 6 free wings from Buffalo Wild Wings: Here's when to get yours
USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
The wife of a man charged with killing his 5-year-old daughter says she still cares about him
Trump endorses North Carolina GOP chair and Lara Trump to lead RNC
Former NFL Player Tony Hutson Dead at 49