Man Convicted of 1979 Murder Obtains Conditional Habeas Relief

A California man convicted of a 35-year-old murder in 2014 may walk after the Ninth Circuit on Friday reversed a district court decision denying his bid for habeas corpus relief.

The prosecution’s case against Douglas Bradford was “built entirely on circumstantial evidence,” and excluding evidence about another suspect—one who admitted to being at the victim’s house on the night of the murder and who had previously assaulted her—violated his right to present a complete defense, the court said.

On remand, the district court must grant a conditional writ of habeas corpus, ordering Bradford’s release unless California says, within 30 days ...