Cuyahoga judge rules Cleveland man wrongfully convicted, prosecutors fight ruling

CLEVELAND - A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge ruled a Cleveland man was "wrongfully convicted," but county prosecutors are appealing the case.

Murder charges were dropped against Darrell Houston after Houston was freed from prison and given a new trial. As a result, Houston began the process for suing the state of Ohio for compensation and alleged he was wrongfully convicted.

A recent ruling supported Houston, but Cuyahoga County prosecutors are now appealing the ruling that found Houston was "wrongfully convicted.”

No physical evidence tied Houston to the scene of the murder of a Cleveland convenience store clerk in 1992. The only eyewitness in the case testified that Houston was not the killer.

Even so, prosecutors have appealed the wrongful conviction ruling, saying that the judge erred in her ruling and that Houston has not shown he is innocent by a preponderance of the evidence.

Meanwhile, the appeal will prevent Houston from collecting any funds or continuing his lawsuit against the state until the appeal is resolved.

Houston was the subject of several exclusive NewsChannel5 investigations that won him a new trial.

Click here to read the judge's ruling http://5.wews.com/rVv and here for the prosecutor's appeal http://5.wews.com/xnM