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3 men falsely convicted of murder in US state of Maryland set free after 36 years in prison

3 men falsely convicted of murder in US state of Maryland set free after 36 years in prison
Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins (L-R) were teenagers when sentenced [Photo:BBC]

Three men falsely convicted of murder in the US state of Maryland have been set free after 36 years in prison.

Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins had been sentenced to life in 1984 for killing a 14-year-old boy a year earlier.

They were freed in Baltimore after a judge cleared their convictions following a review of their case.

The case was reopened this year after  Chestnut sent a letter to Baltimore's Conviction Integrity Unit.

He included evidence he had uncovered last year.

Alfred-Chestnut-and-mum-sm
Alfred Chestnut embraced his mother following his release[Photo:BBC]

Chestnut,  Stewart and  Watkins were arrested as teenagers in November 1983 following the death of DeWitt Duckett, who was shot in the neck on his way to class at a Baltimore junior high school and had his Georgetown University jacket stolen.

DeWitt's death received widespread press coverage. It was the first fatal shooting of a student in a Baltimore public school.

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