A Lawrence prosecutor has dropped charges against two men whose murder and rape cases became a rallying cry for racial injustice protesters.
District Attorney Suzanne Valdez announced Wednesday that she had moved to formally dismiss the first-degree murder case against Rontarus Washington Jr. and the rape case against Albert Wilson. Valdez said in a statement that the case had languished in the courts long enough to raise questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system itself.
The case has faced a series of delays and one mistrial resulting from a hung jury.
