Ohio inmate imprisoned 39 years for slaying will be freed after witness admits lying as a boy

This undated photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows Ricky Jackson, serving a life sentence for murder in the May 1975 killing of a money-order collector. Jackson is expected to be freed Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, after a witness confessed he lied as a boy when he told jurors he saw the deadly attack. (AP Photo/Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction) (The Associated Press)

CLEVELAND – A man who spent nearly four decades in prison for a Cleveland killing will be freed after a witness confessed that he lied to police and jurors as a boy.

The Plain Dealer (http://bit.ly/1vpfhwJ ) reports 57-year-old Ricky Jackson sobbed loudly as prosecutors dismissed his case Tuesday. The Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County prosecutor told a judge the case fell apart after witness Eddie Vernon recanted.

Vernon was 12 when he accused Jackson and two brothers in the May 1975 killing of a money-order collector. This week, Vernon told a judge he was trying to please others when he provided a false story based on information from a friend and police who fed him details.

Jackson is expected to be freed Friday, once the paperwork is finished.