Missouri court overturns conviction in 1990 farm death

— The Missouri Supreme Court has overturned the murder conviction of man who had been sentenced to life in prison for the 1990 slaying of a woman on a neighboring farm.

The state’s high court ruled Tuesday that prosecutors withheld evidence that could have helped Mark Woodworth defend himself against accusations that he killed Catherine Robertson in her home in Chillicothe and assaulted her husband. Woodworth’s father farmed with Robertson’s husband.

The court ordered Woodworth to be released from prison, unless prosecutors decide to retry him.

Woodworth’s attorneys say his conviction was tainted by prosecutors’ failure to turn over copies of letters that cast doubt on his guilt, as well as other evidence that would have benefited the defense.

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