Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A Boston man who spent almost three decades in prison is free after a judge overturned his first-degree murder conviction.
James Lucien, 48, was serving a no-parole life sentence for the murder of Ryan Edwards 27 years ago. But Suffolk Superior Court Judge Robert Ullmann ruled Tuesday that he never got a fair trial.
Lucien's attorney, Dennis Toomey, argued that police made fundamental mistakes that compromised the homicide investigation. Mistakes made by Boston Police Detective John Brazil, who was the lead investigator in the case, and others led to the wrongful conviction of Lucien, Toomey said.
"The person to blame is the lead detective in this case, Detective Brazil. If he had been honest and had done his job correctly, we would not be here," Ullmann said, according to Boston 25 News.
The judge granted Lucien a new trial, and the district attorney dropped all charges.
Lucien was seen embracing his family in court, but Edwards' family expressed anger that the case remained unsolved.
Edwards was killed during a drug deal in 1995. The murder was pinned on Lucien by Brazil, who was part of a team that was later charged with corruption.
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