Man freed after 29 years in prison after charges dropped

CHICAGO (AP) - A Chicago man who spent nearly 30 years in prison for a 1988 fire that left two dead has been freed from prison.

Arthur Brown walked out of Cook County Jail late Tuesday after prosecutors told a judge they were dropping charges against the 66-year-old man.

Brown was 37 in 1988 when he was charged with arson and murder following a suspicious South Side fire. Despite proclaiming his innocence, Brown was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

In October, Judge Joseph Claps tossed out Brown's conviction and ordered a retrial after concluding prosecutors at a second trial in 2008 made false arguments to the jury.

After initially saying they would seek to reverse Claps' ruling, prosecutors determined evidence raised "deep concerns about the fairness of Mr. Brown's conviction."