by TChris

Julie Rae Harper's conviction for a murder that occurred near Lawrenceville, Illinois was reversed on what some might call a technicality: she was prosecuted by an agency that lacked prosecutorial authority in her case. While convictions that are reversed for procedural error often lead to retrials, new evidence should have made the State of Illinois question the wisdom of putting Harper on trial a second time.

Attorneys that Newswatch spoke with Thursday, said one of the big issues facing a possible retrial is the admission of new evidence, in particular the admission of Tommy Lynn Sells, to the murder.

Nonetheless, Harper's freedom was momentary, as she was released after two years in prison only to be taken directly to the county jail on a warrant for the reinstated murder charge.

"This is not seeking justice," said Bill Clutter, an investigator for the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project. "This is just further torturing an innocent woman who should be released."