Man to be retried after 1982 murder conviction overturned
A man who was released from prison after his 1982 murder conviction was overturned will be retried by Orange County prosecutors.
James Andrew Melton, 60, was originally convicted of seducing 77-year-old Anthony Lial DeSousa and then strangling the retiree in his Newport Beach condominium. His body was discovered nude and beaten.
Melton is now charged with murder during the commission of a burglary and robbery and faces life in prison without parole, the Daily Pilot reported.
Melton will appear in court June 22, where his attorney will argue that the case should be dismissed.
Melton was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison from 1982 to 2007. A federal judge threw out his conviction, saying Melton was too heavily medicated during the trial to understand the proceedings or participate in his own defense.
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-- Joseph Serna, Times Community News
Photo: James Andrew Melton Credit: Orange County district attorney's office
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