BOSTON (AP/WHDH) — Prosecutors will not retry a man whose conviction in the murder of a Boston police detective in 1993 was overturned, Suffolk County District Attorney John Pappas announced.
Pappas told reporters Monday that his office would not pursue another case against Sean Ellis, who was accused of killing Det. John Mulligan.
“The past two hours have been an array of emotions,” Ellis said moments after learning the news. “I’m extremely happy. I’m excited.”
Mulligan was shot five times in the face while he slept in his car while on a security detail outside a pharmacy.
Ellis was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted in 1995 of Mulligan’s death. He was released from prison in 2015 after a judge ruled he didn’t get a fair trial because two of the detectives who investigated the murder later pleaded guilty to corruption charges and his defense team wasn’t provided with key evidence.
The Supreme Judicial Court reviewed evidence suggesting Mulligan was corrupt, had robbed drug dealers, and had a contract out for his murder.
Pappas said prosecutors don’t believe they can bring a successful case because of the amount of time that has passed since the crime.
Ellis said he plans to travel and attend college now that case against him has been dropped.
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