Man released from prison after judge throws out conviction in 1976 slaying after key witness recants

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia man has been released from prison after his conviction in a poolroom slaying almost a half-century ago was overturned following recantation of a key witness. Seventy-seven-year-old William Franklin was convicted in a 1976 slaying, but The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that an informant said before his 2020 death that he had been threatened and offered lenient treatment for his testimony including visits by girlfriends. A judge last week threw out the conviction, saying she “is not fond of the notion” that cases have been closed with coercion and secret incentives. Franklin is now on house arrest pending a decision by prosecutors on appealing the ruling or retrying him.