A federal magistrate in Pennsylvania has recommended a South Korean man convicted of killing his daughter in what authorities alleged was an arson fire 25 years ago be released from prison or given a new trial.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson recommended Friday that Han Tak Lee's conviction and sentence be set aside because the science underpinning the case has been discredited. His recommendation will go to a federal district judge for consideration.
An appeals court had granted Lee's request for an independent examination of evidence from the July 1989 fire that killed 20-year-old Ji Yun Lee at a religious retreat in the Pocono Mountains.
Defense attorney Peter Goldberger says he's excited by Friday's ruling. Monroe County District Attorney David Christine says he'll fight to uphold the jury's verdict.
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