Judge Denies Request to Delay Hearing in Sanborn Murder Case

PORTLAND, Maine - A judge has denied a request to delay a hearing on the case of a Maine man who was released from prison in April after new evidence emerged in his 1992 murder conviction.
 
Judge Joyce Wheeler denied the prosecution's request Thursday, but had left open the possibility of delaying the hearing by one week. The Portland Press Herald reports that Wheeler suggested that the evidentiary hearing could begin Aug. 1 instead of July 24 if Anthony Sanborn's Jr.'s attorneys and prosecutors agree to a one-week delay.
 
Sanborn was convicted of killing 16-year-old Jessica Briggs in 1992, but was released after a witness, Hope Cady, recanted her testimony that stated she witnessed the murder. Sanborn had served 25 years of a 70-year sentence until he was released on bail earlier this year.