A Minnesota man who spent nearly three decades in prison for a murder he did not commit has been released after a woman confessed to the crime. Bryan Hooper Sr's first-degree murder conviction was vacated by State District Court Judge Marta Chou, and he was freed from Stillwater correctional facility on Thursday.
The case dates back to 1998 when 77-year-old Ann Prazniak was found dead in her Minneapolis apartment, her body wrapped in Christmas lights in a cardboard box. Hooper was convicted largely on the testimony of a woman who has since confessed to the killing. He received three life sentences with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
The Hennepin County Attorney, Mary Moriarty, supported Hooper's release, acknowledging that a crucial trial witness recanted and confessed to killing Prazniak and hiding her body. Jailhouse informants who implicated Hooper had also recanted. The judge ruled that Hooper's conviction was tainted by false evidence.
Hooper has reunited with his children and plans to stay in the Twin Cities area. The case will be returned to Minneapolis police for further investigation. The woman who confessed is serving a sentence in Georgia for an assault-related crime and is due for release in about four years.
