Prosecutors taking second look at a 1971 murder

DETROIT (AP) — A murder case from 1971 is getting another look by Detroit-area prosecutors before a man is put through a second trial after spending 45 years in prison.

Records show the Conviction Integrity Unit at the Wayne County prosecutor’s office is examining the case of Richard Phillips. His conviction was thrown out in August, and he was released on bond in December.

Phillips has long declared his innocence in the 1971 fatal shooting of Gregory Harris. The Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school learned that a co-defendant told the state parole board that Phillips had no role.

That testimony convinced a judge to set aside Phillips’ conviction. He’s now 71 years old.