Woman, 74, freed after 32 years in prison for murder she didn't commit
LOS ANGELES -- A 74-year-old woman was released from prison late Monday evening after serving 32 years for a murder committed by her abusive boyfriend. Mary Virginia Jones walked out of Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood just before midnight to the tears and cheers of family and friends, The Los Angeles Times reports. Jones was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery in a 1981 shooting death, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Ryan set aside those convictions on Monday, reports CBS Los Angeles. The district attorney's office has agreed to accept a plea of no contest to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for Jones' release. Jones has already served 11,875 days, which exceeds the 11-year maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Jones' case was taken up by the University of Southern California's Post-Conviction Justice Project. It contends Jones' boyfriend, Mose Willis, kidnapped two drug dealers and forced the