Prosecutors drop murder charges against man awaiting retrial in Chandra Levy's slaying
Prosecutors have dropped murder charges against a man awaiting retrial in the death of intern Chandra Levy.
Prosecutors in Washington, D.C., said they were dropping charges against Ingmar Guandique, report the Washington Post, the Washington Times and the Associated Press. Guandique had been convicted of the slaying in 2010, but a judge granted a retrial last year because of the prosecution’s failure to disclose evidence about the cellmate who testified against him.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said in an announcement that it was moving to dismiss the case against Guandique “in the interests of justice and based on recent unforeseen developments that were investigated over the past week.” The statement said the office had concluded it could no longer prove the case against Guandique beyond a reasonable doubt.
The cellmate who had testified that Guandique confessed to the crime had previously offered to testify in other cases in exchange for favorable treatment, but prosecutors didn’t disclose that fact, a judge found last year. Guandique’s alleged confession occurred when he was in prison for attacking two other women in the park where Levy’s body was found.
Levy disappeared in 2001 and her remains were found the next year. She had had an affair with then-U.S. Rep. Gary Condit of California, but he was ruled out as a suspect.
