Pa. prosecutors review lifer's innocence claims

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania man briefly released from a life sentence before he was sent back to prison has another chance to pursue his innocence claims.

The state Attorney General’s Office is reviewing new evidence against Lorenzo Johnson in a 1995 Harrisburg bar slaying.

A federal appeals court had thrown out Johnson’s conviction, and he left prison after 16 years. But prosecutors successfully appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court — and Johnson went back to prison four months later.

Defense lawyer Michael Wiseman says he recently met with prosecutors from Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s office.

Wiseman says the new evidence shows Johnson, an alleged accomplice, was in New York when the victim was shot outside a bar.

A spokesman for Kane did not immediately return a call for comment today.