Pa. man wins murder dismissal, will seek money
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UNIONTOWN (AP) – A Pennsylvania man who spent nearly 25 years in prison will seek compensation from the state after a judge dismissed two homicide charges against him.
The Tribune-Review of Pittsburgh reported that a Fayette County judge also ruled Friday that the charges against David Munchinski can’t be refiled.
It caps a long process that included a federal judge’s 2011 decision that Munchinski had been wrongfully convicted because of the “outrageous misconduct” of two prosecutors in the original 1987 case. Munchinski has since been free on bond, pending a retrial.
Lawyer Noah Geary of Washington County says Munchinski wasn’t retried within the required 120 days after a federal appeals court upheld the wrongful conviction ruling.
Geary says if Munchinski can’t settle with the state, he’ll sue in federal court.