L.A. prosecutor appeals release of 'Geronimo' Pratt

Pratt

January 31, 1998
Web posted at: 3:33 p.m. EDT (1533 GMT)

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti has appealed a June 1997 ruling that reversed the murder conviction and freed former Black Panther member Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt from prison.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Everett Dickey reversed Pratt's 1972 conviction in the 1968 killing of Caroline Olsen, a Santa Monica teacher, saying prosecutors had failed to disclose that one of their witnesses was a paid informant.

"The prosecutors who have handled this case over the years, from the trial attorneys to the appellate lawyers, acted appropriately and ethically in this case," Garcetti said Friday.

After spending 27 years in prison, Pratt was released June 10, 1997, after posting bail. He has maintained his innocence in the slaying.

The Black Panthers was an activist group founded in the mid-1960s.

Related stories:

• Former Black Panther freed after 27 years in jail - June 10, 1997
• Former Black Panther freed on $25,000 bail - June 10, 1997

Related sites:

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• A Black Panther Primer
• Bobby Seale's Homepage

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