NJ Man Acquitted in Murder of 5 Missing Teens Sues

A New Jersey man who was acquitted of murder charges in one of the state's longest-running cold cases is suing those he says put him on trial.

The Star-Ledger reports Lee Evans filed a civil suit in Superior Court in Newark against the Essex County prosecutor's office, the Newark Police Department, and U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who was mayor during the 2011 trial.

Evans, who is seeking unspecified damages, claims police had no evidence tying him to the arson murder of five teenage boys from Newark who disappeared in 1978. Prosecutors relied heavily on a statement given by Evans' cousin and co-defendant, Philander Hampton, who is serving a 10-year sentence in the case.

Spokespeople for Booker and the police department declined comment. The prosecutor's office did not immediately respond.

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