After 20 Years in Prison, He Calls State's Bluff. And Wins

By John Johnson

September 8, 2017

A ProPublica investigation begins with a familiar-sounding tale: A man imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit gets his conviction tossed through DNA analysis.

But then comes the twist: State prosecutors in Baltimore still had the option to retry James Owens for the rape and murder of a woman back in 1987, and they threatened to do so unless he accepted what's known as an Alford plea.

He would technically plead guilty but be allowed to go free as a 43-year-old after 20 years behind bars. "In a legal gamble in which the prosecution typically holds the winning cards, Owens ... called the state's bluff," writes Megan Rose. He decided to roll the dice on another trial and sat in jail for another 16 months. Then, when the trial was about to start, the state announced it would not proceed with the prosecution.

Read the full story on Newser.com