Michigan asks judge to release man in slayings of 2 hunters

By ED WHITE
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — The state of Michigan is asking a judge to release a man who has served nearly 21 years of a life sentence for killing two hunters. The state says evidence about an Ohio serial killer’s possible role was never disclosed to the defense before Jeff Titus’ trial. The attorney general’s office says Titus’ rights were violated as a result. The 71-year-old is entitled to a new trial, though it’s likely that authorities in southwestern Michigan will drop the case. Titus’ claim of innocence has been led for years by the Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school. Doug Estes and Jim Bennett were fatally shot near Titus’ property in Kalamazoo County in 1990.