L.A. District Attorney describes key witness testimony as “doubtful”

The Los Angeles County dis­trict at­tor­ney’s of­fice asked a judge on Fri­day to re­lease a wo­man who has spent more than 17 years be­hind bars for a murder she in­sists she nev­er com­mit­ted. Pro­sec­utors said a re­cent in­vest­ig­a­tion by their of­fice con­cluded that the testi­mony of the star wit­ness at the 1998 murder tri­al of Susan Mel­len was “doubt­ful.” The judge, Mark S. Arnold, ordered Mel­len’s re­lease at a hear­ing in Tor­rance on Fri­day, say­ing he be­lieved that the moth­er of three is in­no­cent.