Man wrongfully convicted for disturbing Minneapolis murder released from prison
A free man after 27 years: Bryan Hooper's first words
Bryan Hooper Sr. spoke with reporters after being released from prison for serving 27 years on a wrongful 1998 murder conviction. Hooper says he's looking forward to spending time with his family, and hopes that ?good things happen from here.?
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man who has served more than 27 years in prison for a disturbing Minneapolis murder is now set to be freed from prison after a woman confessed that she committed the slaying.
Bryan Hooper Sr. released from prison
Man freed after 27 years on false murder conviction
Bryan Hooper Sr., who served decades in prison for a disturbing Minneapolis murder in 1998, walked out of the Stillwater Correctional Facility on Thursday after he was found wrongfully convicted.
What we know:
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced on Thursday that Bryan Hooper Sr. was set to be released from prison after being exonerated in the murder case.
Last month, Moriarty filed a petition for Hooper's conviction to be vacated after a woman made a surprise confession. Prosecutors said the woman had found religion while serving prison time on another case in Georgia and felt she had to clear Hooper's name.
The Great North Innocence Project has also represented Hooper as he sought freedom from prison.
Big picture view:
Judge Marta Chou found Hooper's conviction "was tainted by false evidence and that without this false testimony, the jury might have reached a different conclusion."
Hooper is expected to be released sometime on Thursday.
Hooper convicted of 1998 murder
Hennepin County Attorney seeks to vacate 1998 conviction
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is seeking to vacate the 1998 conviction of Bryan Hooper in the murder of 77-year-old Ann Prazniak after one of the key witnesses who testified against him confessed to the crime.
The backstory:
The decomposed body of 77-year-old Ann Prazniak was found stuffed in a box in the closet of her Minneapolis apartment by police in 1998.
According to court documents, the body was found wedged upside down in the fetal position with a string of Christmas lights wrapped around the box. The body was wrapped in a mattress pad and blanket, with Prazniak's wrists bound with tape and her ankles tied with an electrical cord.
Prazniak was last seen alive weeks before her body was discovered on April 15. In early April, neighbors contacted authorities, saying they were worried Prazniak's apartment had been taken over by drug dealers.
Hooper admitted to being in the apartment but denied killing Prazniak. Witnesses claimed Hooper had admitted to the murder.
However, since his conviction, multiple witnesses have since recanted their testimony.
What they're saying:
"Today, the courts have affirmed what Bryan Hooper, his family, his loved ones, and his advocates have always known: Mr. Hooper is an innocent man," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. "It is our duty as prosecutors to hold the correct individuals responsible for their actions, and that duty demands that we acknowledge our mistakes and make things right as quickly as we can. When our Conviction Integrity Unit learned that another person had confessed to the crime for which Mr. Hooper was convicted, they worked tirelessly to clear his name and secure his release.
"We are relieved that Mr. Hooper can finally return home to his family after 27 years, and I want to again apologize to him and his family for our office’s role in that injustice. We wish Mr. Hooper all the best as he begins to navigate a world that is barely recognizable from the world he knew in 1998."
What's next:
Last month, Moriarty said prosecutors were reviewing the case and considering charges against the woman who confessed to the murder.