Man cleared of murder after nearly four decades in jail

A man who spent nearly four decades behind bars for a 1983 killing won his freedom yesterday after New Orleans prosecutors joined defence lawyers in asking to have his murder conviction overturned. Attorneys on both sides said evidence of inconsistencies in the only eyewitness’s testimony was kept from the jury that convicted Raymond Flanks, right. Their joint motion to vacate his conviction was approved yesterday by a state judge. Flanks, 59, was in orange prison coveralls during the hearing but he was unshackled in the courtroom before Judge Rhonda Goode-Douglas heard attorneys’ statements. A few hours later, he emerged from the doors of the courthouse.