CLEVELAND -- In a 5 On Your Side investigation aired Wednesday night, chief investigator Duane Pohlman reported on a story of two men convicted in a woman's murder and how some people, including a forensics expert and an amateur investigator, are convinced the imprisoned men are innocent.

In a follow-up report, Pohlman revealed new information on the case that some people say further supports the two men's innocence, and why they think the men deserve a new trial.

On the morning of April 1, 1999, witness George Hale was walking down Divine Street when he saw someone.

"I saw someone coming out of the house with a garbage bag, " says Hale.

That house was where Yvonne Layne -- a mother of five -- had just been murdered.

Investigation: Part 1

Hale said the man carrying that garbage bag did not match the description of Joe Wilkes, who was convicted of killing Layne, or David Thorne, who was convicted of hiring Wilkes to do it.

Hale agreed to look at a photo line-up. He pointed someone out, who happened to be an Alliance police officer.

Pohlman: "Do you think the police were involved, George?"

Hale: "I'm thinking they had something involved in it."

Former Alliance detective John Leech, a key detective in the case, said Hale was not a reliable witness.

Reliable or not, Hale did not testify at the murder trial. Lawyers defending Thorne said they were never even told about Hale.

Police continue to defend the way they handled the investigation.

Sue Gless, a postal clerk turned investigator, hasn't given up, Pohlman reported.

She has devoted seven years to uncovering the truth, in the hope of freeing two men.

"That's my goal: to get two innocent men out of prison," said Gless.

She's not alone, Pohlman reported.

Linda McLaughlin, the mother of Layne's boyfriend, said Thorne didn't do it, and neither did Wilkes.

McLaughlin said she witnessed Layne using sex to extort money before her death.

Pohlman: "She slept with everyone?"

McLaughlin: "Yes. She did."

Layne's mother testified that an Alliance police officer, Quentin Artis, was repeatedly badgering Layne.

McLaughlin said she was at Layne's house when Artis showed up, demanding sex.

Artis is no longer an officer but an inmate in Marion, serving a sentence for sexual battery and gross sexual imposition after he was convicted in a case involving a child.

Those who have closely examined the case, from forensics expert Brent Turvey to amateur investigator Gless, said there is only one answer here: The system convicted the wrong men.

"In my opinion, I am hard pressed to find a reason why they wouldn't get a new trial," said Turvey.

"No doubt in my mind. I'd stake my life on it, and I probably am," said Gless.

Ohio's public defender's office is dealing with the case, and based on what has been uncovered, NewsChannel5 was told that an appeal is imminent.