USA - Florida. The Florida Supreme Court has vacated the conviction and death sentence of Derral Hodgkins

Derral Hodgkins to be set free, The Florida Supreme Court has vacated the conviction and death sentence of Derral Hodgkins for insufficient evidence and directed the entry of a judgment of acquittal in his case. The Court ruled today that there wasn't enough evidence to convict Hodgkins for the 2006 murder of 46-year-old Teresa Lodge. Lodge was found dead in her apartment. Hodgkins' skin was found under her fingernails, but investigators didn't find a weapon or other evidence that placed Hodgkins at the scene. The court said the skin found raises suspicion, but it wasn't enough to convict Hodgkins. The 2 dated years earlier and Hodgkins said they remained close. He told investigators they had sex about three days before the murder and Lodge dug her nails into his back during the act. (See August 31, 2011)