NY prosecutors seek to vacate murder conviction
NEW YORK (AP) - Prosecutors have asked a judge to free a man convicted in the 1990 killing of a Brooklyn rabbi.
In papers filed Wednesday, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office asked a judge to grant a motion by David Ranta to vacate his conviction.
Ranta was convicted of murder after Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger was shot on Feb. 8, 1990, by a man fleeing a botched robbery. Thousands attended the funeral for the Hasidic rabbi.
The New York Times reports that the detectives who arrested Ranta broke numerous rules and kept few written records. No physical evidence connected Ranta to the murder.
The newspaper says Ranta could be freed as early as Thursday.