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OGDEN, Utah (AP) — An Ogden man is out of prison after an appeals court overturned his conviction for killing a man over an argument about a cigarette and a racial slur.
The Standard-Examiner reports that 55-year-old Robert McCullar agreed to a plea deal that immediately released him from prison after six years.
McCullar was convicted in the death of 49-year-old Filiberto Bedolla after prosecutors played audiotapes they called a confession. But his lawyers say that McCullar was lying to burnish his street cred. The appeals court ruled that the trial judge didn't allow the defense to explore the possibility of another suspect.
McCullar was released after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
His lawyer James Retallick says he could have won at trial, but the plea deal was a sure thing.
Prosecutors say they're satisfied with the resolution.
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