RALEIGH, N.C. — Five months after a federal appeals court threw out his murder conviction, and more than 40 years after he was sentenced to death, Charles Ray Finch was freed Thursday.
A federal appeals court ruled in January that Finch was denied a fair trial because of a flawed lineup law enforcement used to obtain an eyewitness identification of Finch as the suspected killer.
With the state unlikely to retry the case – Wilson County District Attorney Robert Evans has 30 days to formally announce his decision – U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle on Thursday granted Finch his freedom.
