Hennepin County prosecutors in partnership with the Great North Innocence Project are moving to overturn the 1998 murder conviction of Brian Hooper.
"Longtime residents of the Twin Cities may remember this case due to its disturbing details," says Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. "The 77-year-old victim's body was found in her bedroom closet bound with tape, wrapped in a blanket and other materials, and beginning to decompose. It was a shocking crime. Compelling new evidence, however, shows that Brian Hooper did not commit this murder."
This action follows a confession from a key witness in a Georgia prison who recently admitted to killing 77-year-old Ann Prasniak, a crime for which Hooper has already served 27 years.
That person has yet to be charged but Hooper's legal team is asking for a speedy hearing to vacate his conviction.
"On July 29th, we learned that the state's star trial witness had come forward on her own, to not only recant her testimony against Mr. Hooper, but to confess that she was responsible for killing Miss Prasniak and concealing her body," said Moriarty who added this new evidence fully exonerates Hooper.
"These recorded confessions from someone with nothing to gain, and a great deal to lose, are extraordinarily compelling and make it impossible for us to stand behind the conviction of Brian Hooper," says Moriarty.
A judge will have 90 days to decide on his release once assigned to the case.