All charges dropped against N.J. man

All charges dropped against N.J. man


Prosecutors on Monday said they would not retry a man who spent 22 years
in prison for the murder and rape of two children and was recently freed
after DNA testing exonerated him.

In a statement released before a court hearing Monday, Prosecutor Theodore
J. Romankow said he decided not to pursue the charges following "careful
re-evaluation of the case" against Byron Halsey.

Halsey, 46, was released from prison on May 15 after prosecutors threw out
his convictions. New DNA testing, not available when he was convicted,
linked a neighbor to the crime.

However, until Monday, Halsey could have been retried on charges of
aggravated sexual assault, aggravated manslaughter, felony murder, child
abuse and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Instead, on the prosecutor's recommendation, a judge dropped all charges.