Man reconvicted in wife’s 1972 murder in Maryland

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. (AP) — A man who spent more than 40 years in prison for his wife’s 1972 murder in Prince George’s County has been convicted of the crime a second time.

The Washington Post reports (http://tinyurl.com/kkw6jwp) that a jury found 65-year-old James Bonnett guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in his wife’s shooting death in Capitol Heights.

The case returned to Prince George’s County court because Bonnett’s 1972 trial was declared unconstitutional.

Bonnett is one of 200 inmates who got new trials after the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in 2012 that in cases before 1980, Maryland judges gave juries flawed instructions.

In most of those cases, inmates considered reformed were freed under plea deals. But in a few instances, prosecutors decided to seek new trials to keep certain inmates behind bars.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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