AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A former Akron police captain will spend
the next 30 days in jail while he awaits a decision about whether he
should receive a new trial in the 1998 slaying of his ex-wife, a judge
ruled Friday.
Douglas Prade, 68, was led out of the courtroom in
handcuffs after the ruling by Summit County Judge Christine Croce. Prade
will be transferred to a state prison if the 9th District Court of
Appeals does not rule whether he should get a new trial within that
30-day period, Croce said.
The (Akron) Beacon Journal reported
that Croce told Prade: "You are now again convicted and sentenced to
spend your natural life in prison."
Prade spent nearly 15 years in
prison in the shooting death of Dr. Margo Prade, who was killed in her
van outside her Akron medical office. Prade was sentenced to life in
prison with a chance for parole in 26 years.
A now-retired judge
exonerated Prade in January 2013 after DNA tests showed that a bite mark
on Dr. Prade’s lab coat did not come from her ex-husband. She also made
what a court official described as a "conditional order" that if her
ruling exonerating Prade was overturned that he should receive a new
trial.
The appellate court overturned Judge Judy Hunter’s decision
to free Prade in March. The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the
9th District ruling. County prosecutors have filed a motion with the
appellate court arguing that Hunter’s conditional order is invalid and
Prade should not receive a new trial.
Prade’s defense has been
bolstered by legal help from the Ohio Innocence Project, which along
with similar groups nationwide, have become renowned for freeing
wrongfully convicted individuals through the use of DNA testing and the
discovery of new evidence. Prade’s Cincinnati-based attorney, Brian
Howe, could not be reached after Croce’s decision on Friday. He told the
Beacon Journal afterward that Prade remains "resolute" that he will get
a new trial and will eventually be freed.
Margo Prade’s family celebrated after the ruling.
"It’s
been a roller coaster ride that I wouldn’t want anybody to go through,"
Margo Prade’s nephew, Anthony Fowler, told the newspaper.
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A former Akron police captain will spend
the next 30 days in jail while he awaits a decision about whether he
should receive a new trial in the 1998 slaying of his ex-wife, a judge
ruled Friday.
Douglas Prade, 68, was led out of the courtroom in
handcuffs after the ruling by Summit County Judge Christine Croce. Prade
will be transferred to a state prison if the 9th District Court of
Appeals does not rule whether he should get a new trial within that
30-day period, Croce said.
The (Akron) Beacon Journal reported
that Croce told Prade: "You are now again convicted and sentenced to
spend your natural life in prison."
Prade spent nearly 15 years in
prison in the shooting death of Dr. Margo Prade, who was killed in her
van outside her Akron medical office. Prade was sentenced to life in
prison with a chance for parole in 26 years.
A now-retired judge
exonerated Prade in January 2013 after DNA tests showed that a bite mark
on Dr. Prade’s lab coat did not come from her ex-husband. She also made
what a court official described as a "conditional order" that if her
ruling exonerating Prade was overturned that he should receive a new
trial.
The appellate court overturned Judge Judy Hunter’s decision
to free Prade in March. The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the
9th District ruling. County prosecutors have filed a motion with the
appellate court arguing that Hunter’s conditional order is invalid and
Prade should not receive a new trial.
Prade’s defense has been
bolstered by legal help from the Ohio Innocence Project, which along
with similar groups nationwide, have become renowned for freeing
wrongfully convicted individuals through the use of DNA testing and the
discovery of new evidence. Prade’s Cincinnati-based attorney, Brian
Howe, could not be reached after Croce’s decision on Friday. He told the
Beacon Journal afterward that Prade remains "resolute" that he will get
a new trial and will eventually be freed.
Margo Prade’s family celebrated after the ruling.
"It’s
been a roller coaster ride that I wouldn’t want anybody to go through,"
Margo Prade’s nephew, Anthony Fowler, told the newspaper.