USA - Ohio. Death row inmate eligible for release

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Joan Synenberg says that Joe D'Ambrosio, who has spent 2 decades on death row, is eligible for release on $50,000 bond as he awaits a new trial. Judge Synenberg said that D'Ambrosio would be under house arrest and wear an electronic monitor if he posts bond. Prosecutors opposed his potential release, saying D'Ambrosio is still a threat. He was convicted in the drug-related murder of a 19-year-old in 1989. A federal judge ruled in 2006 that prosecutors had withheld evidence that might have cleared D'Ambrosio during trial. An appeals court ordered he be retried or set free, and his 2nd trial is set to begin next week. (see also 25/03/2006 and 05/06/2008).