Falsley Accused of Murder, Man Released After 23 Years Has Heart Attack After Two Days of Freedom

David Ranta spent 23 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He was accused of the 1991 murder of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger after a failed jewelry heist the year before and was sentenced to 37 1/2 years in prison. Mr. Ranta, 58, was released Wednesday of last week after prosecutors admitted evidence against him has fallen apart over the years.

The district attorney’s office, after re-examining the case, uncovered serious flaws in the case when they discovered a 13-year-old boy (at that time) came forward and said he had been coached by detectives to identify Renta in a lineup. Two days after Renta was released from prison, he had a heart attack while spending time with his family at a hotel. He does take medication for his blood pressure but never showed any signs of a bad heart, but doctors found one of his arteries was completely blocked and another was half way closed. Mr. Rinta is in the hospital waiting on a second surgery on his heart and he’s hoping to be up and around soon to enjoy his new found freedom.

nytimes