After man spends 22 years in prison for murder, judge tosses charge

Twenty-two years after he was sentenced to serve time in state prison for murder, a 45-year-old Elizabeth man was released after a judge threw out the charge against him.

Duquene Pierre was originally sentenced to 60 years in prison. He was released Friday after serving 22 years for the murder of a man that took place March 20, 1994 during a robbery on Magnolia Street in Elizabeth, according to NJ Advance Media.

The conviction came despite a speeding ticket Pierre received in South Carolina and cell phone records presented during the first trial, showing that Pierre was traveling south and was hundreds of miles away at the time of the murder, NJ Advance Media reported. In addition, two eyewitnesses who testified in the first trial said during the second trial last week, that they were unsure of Pierre's identity, the article states.

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.