A convicted murderer, who had served more than 12 years in prison, was ordered to be released Thursday, after additional evidence revealed questions regarding the state?s witness.
Louis Batty, 38, of Baltimore City, entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder to a time-served sentence in Baltimore City Circuit Court before Judge Pamela White, said his attorney Michael Lawlor.
An Alford plea acknowledges the state could have enough evidence to convict him.
Batty was convicted of first-degree murder and gun charges Feb. 22, 1996, for the Dec. 13, 1994, murder of Maurice Booker of Baltimore City.
Batty was sentenced in April 1996to life in prison plus 20 years, according to court records. He had served time at Jessup Correctional Institution.
Booker was shot and killed as he was driving his car at the intersection of Lucille and Beaufort avenues in Baltimore City, according to court records.
The defense later learned the state didn?t disclose appropriate evidence regarding the witness who testified against Batty, Lawlor said.
The man who testified had charges of robbery with a deadly weapon, possession of a handgun, and escape from home monitoring pending against him, according to the defense?s motion to reopen the post-conviction case.
In that motion, Lawlor said the state had “concealed substantial benefits to [the man who testified at trial] on his pending escape and handgun cases in exchange for his testimony against Mr. Batty.”
State?s attorney spokesman Joe Sviatko said that if Batty re-offends, he could be sentenced to the remainder of his suspended sentence, which could be around 6 1/2 years.
