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PROVO, Utah (AP) — A Utah man whose murder conviction in his wife's death was overturned asked Monday to be released from jail before he goes back on trial in November.
Conrad Truman got the new Nov. 1 trial date during his first court appearance since a judge tossed out the guilty verdict, the Daily Herald reported (http://bit.ly/2b7mXyH). His lawyers argue that he's now presumed innocent again, and that there's no reason to keep him behind bars.
Judge Samuel McVey set an Aug. 23 hearing to consider setting bail in the case.
McVey overturned the conviction earlier this month because jurors were told a hallway in the Truman house was longer than it actually is. That made it seem like the defense theory that she killed herself was impossible because she could not have shot herself in the head and fallen in the spot where she was found.
McVey decided jurors could have had reasonable doubts about Conrad Truman's guilt if they'd heard the correct length.
Prosecutors acknowledged the measuring mistake, but said it was a harmless error.
Truman was found guilty in 2014 of killing wife Heidy Truman, 25, after a night of drinking, possibly to collect nearly $1 million in insurance money. Prosecutors say she died of a point-blank gunshot to the head after an argument, and murder was the only explanation.
He was sentenced to up to life in prison, but was sent back to jail after the conviction was overturned.
Conrad Truman, 34, maintained he was innocent, saying he found his wife's dead body after she went to take a shower one night in 2012. His lawyer argued she may have thought she heard an intruder and accidently shot herself after grabbing her gun while still she was still wet from the shower.
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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldextra.com
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