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Tim Masters Officially Exonerated In Hettrick Murder

DENVER (CBS4/AP) - Colorado Attorney General John Suthers says a man whose murder conviction was overturned based on new evidence has been officially exonerated after a yearlong investigation.

Timothy Masters was released from prison in 2008 after serving about a decade in prison for the murder of Peggy Hettrick. Suthers announced Tuesday that a state grand jury concluded that Masters wasn't involved in the Fort Collins woman's murder.

Suthers says it's time that law enforcement officially exonerate Masters.

"Based on the testimony, the forensic analysis and the crime scene analysis, the overwhelming conclusion is that Timothy Masters was not involved in the murder of Peggy Hettrick," Suthers said in a statement.

Masters received $10 million from Fort Collins, Larimer County and their insurance companies to settle a wrongful imprisonment lawsuit.

A police detective who investigated the 1987 murder has been charged with perjury in the case and two judges who were prosecutors at the time were ousted last year by voters. They all deny any wrongdoing.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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