Waukegan man cleared in 1994 murder

  

May 29, 2012 (WAUKEGAN, Ill.) (WLS) -- A man has been cleared of murdering a north suburban store owner after spending 16 years behind bars.

Lake County prosecutors dropped the charges against James Edwards Tuesday morning after DNA evidence proved he was innocent.

Edwards confessed to the 1994 murder of 71-year-old Fred Reckling of Waukegan. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors knew at the time of his trial that the blood at the scene did not match Edwards.

Edwards will not go free immediately. He is still fighting armed robbery charges here in Illinois and a murder charge in Ohio.

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