Court orders release of Portland man accused of murder

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Portland man who has spent nearly three years in jail awaiting a new murder trial has been ordered to be set free.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://is.gd/nji5k8 ) that the Oregon Supreme Court has ordered that the murder case against Mark Lyle Moore Sr. be dropped.

The court ruled that a second trial against Moore would violate his constitutional right against double jeopardy. His first trial ended in a mistrial.

Moore and co-defendant Ervin Oliver Golden Jr. were accused of beating and then killing 37-year-old Jeremy Purcell.

Moore asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the criminal case against him, saying the judge shouldn’t have granted him a mistrial against his wishes. The Supreme Court agreed, saying a second trial would be unfair.