Wrongly Convicted Man Freed After 36 Years

A man who has spent the last 36-years behind bars for a 1978 murder has been freed after prosecutors in Ventura County determined he may not have committed the crime.

Michael Hanline posted $2,500 bail Monday afternoon following a morning hearing at which a judge ordered that he wear a GPS monitoring ankle bracelet while prosecutors decided whether or not to retry him.

Prosecutors said they are no longer sure whether Hanline, now 69, killed Ventura resident J.T. McGarry in 1978. He was convicted in 1980 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Special Assistant District Attorney Michael D. Schwartz says testing showed Hanline’s DNA was not found at the crime scene.

Hanline’s case was taken up by the California Innocence Project. They worked for the last 15 years to prove his innocents.

Just after being released Hanline was reunited with his wife Sandy who has stood by his side all these years.

Prosecutors will decide whether to retry Hanline at a hearing scheduled for Feb. 27.