Minnesota prosecutor seeks to overturn man’s 1998 murder conviction after a witness confesses

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says she will seek the release of Bryan Hooper Sr., who has served 27 years in prison for a 1998 Minneapolis murder after the state’s key witness recanted and confessed to the crime. Hooper, 54, was convicted of killing 77‑year‑old Ann Prazniak and given three life sentences; he has always maintained his innocence. The witness, now imprisoned in Georgia, admitted to the killing while Hooper’s case was under review by the county’s Conviction Integrity Unit, the Associated Press has reported. The Great North Innocence Project has petitioned to vacate his conviction, with a judge expected to decide within 90 days.