Jury rejects claims of police misconduct

Apr 11,2008 00:00 by UPI

BOSTON -- A jury in Boston has rejected a civil rights claims brought by a man who spent years in prison for a homicide he says he did not commit.

Shawn Drumgold was freed in 2003 after several witnesses recanted and a judge threw out his 1988 conviction for the slaying of Darlene Tiffany Moore, 12. But prosecutors have not acknowledged Drumgold's innocence.

After four days of deliberations, a jury in federal court cleared two retired Boston police detectives of violating Drumgold's rights in one instance. They did find that Timothy Callaghan concealed a payment of $20 to a prosecution witness.

Callaghan's lawyer asked the judge to set aside that finding, arguing that $20 would not be enough to suborn perjury. The witness, a homeless teenager, testified that Callaghan often gave him money.