Bruce Lisker

Bruce Lisker was 17 in 1983 when he was charged with the murder of his mother, Dorka.State lawyers have asked a judge to reverse her decision to overturn the murder conviction of a man who was set free last year after serving 26 years in prison. Bruce Lisker, who was accused of killing his mother in 1985, should be sent back to prison because the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in another case that inmates should not be allowed to file late petitions for release even if they can prove they are innocent, according to the attorney general's motion filed late Wednesday.

A federal judge on Friday rejected an attempt by state lawyers to send back to prison a man whose 1985 murder conviction was overturned last year. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips means that Bruce Lisker, who spent 26 years behind bars, remains a free man. "I'm relieved," said Lisker, who had been accused of killing his 66-year-old mother. "Justice has won for another day. " The state attorney general's office filed a motion last month seeking to have Lisker sent back to prison on a technicality, citing a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in another case that said inmates cannot file "untimely" petitions for release even if they can prove they are innocent.

A federal judge who last week overturned the murder conviction of Bruce Lisker said Monday that she intends to release him on bail while government lawyers decide what they will do with the case. At the federal courthouse in Riverside, U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips said she would grant bail after court staff had interviewed Lisker's friends and supporters to determine the proper bail amount and other conditions of his release. That means Lisker, 44, could walk out of prison as soon as this week after more than 26 years behind bars.

An attorney for a man wrongly convicted of murder accused California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown's office Thursday of waiting until after the November election to seek to return the man to prison on a technicality. But Jim Humes, Brown's chief deputy, said politics played no role in the proposed delay, saying the attorney general needed extra time to examine the case. "We would like some more time to think about this," Humes said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I know [the attorney general]

A federal judge on Friday rejected an attempt by state lawyers to send back to prison a man whose 1985 murder conviction was overturned last year. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips means that Bruce Lisker, who spent 26 years behind bars, remains a free man. "I'm relieved," said Lisker, who had been accused of killing his 66-year-old mother. "Justice has won for another day. " The state attorney general's office filed a motion last month seeking to have Lisker sent back to prison on a technicality, citing a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in another case that said inmates cannot file "untimely" petitions for release even if they can prove they are innocent.

A San Fernando Valley man whose murder conviction was overturned last month walked out of court Monday a free man after prosecutors announced they would not retry him for his mother's 1983 slaying. "How can you put this into words?" said Bruce Lisker, 44, after a judge formally dismissed the murder charge during a hearing in a Los Angeles courtroom. "It's unbelievable." In requesting the dismissal, Head Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrick Dixon said much of the physical evidence had been lost or destroyed and some witnesses have died.

A federal judge on Friday overturned the conviction of a San Fernando Valley man serving a life prison sentence for the 1983 murder of his mother, ruling that he must either be retried or set free. U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips concluded that Bruce Lisker, 44, was convicted on "false evidence" and that his attorney -- now a court commissioner -- failed to adequately represent him. The judge's findings mirrored those of a seven-month Times investigation published in 2005, which raised questions about key elements of the prosecution's case against Lisker and exposed the LAPD's investigation into the slaying of his 66-year-old mother as sloppy and incomplete.

A man wrongfully convicted of killing his mother and freed after serving 26 years in prison filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Los Angeles police detectives of framing him. Bruce Lisker, 44, contends his civil rights were violated by the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department and the former detectives who investigated his mother's March 10, 1983, slaying, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court. "It wasn't an innocent mistake, and those responsible should be held accountable," said attorney William Genego, who represents Lisker.

State prison officials on Thursday rejected the parole bid of a San Fernando Valley man who says he was wrongly convicted of murdering his mother more than 24 years ago. Despite new evidence casting doubt on Bruce Lisker's conviction, a two-member parole board concluded that he remained "an unreasonable safety risk to the public" and should not be released.

Despite convincing two federal judges "that there is essentially no evidence" that he killed his mother, a San Fernando Valley man must return to state court to pursue his bid to have his 1985 conviction overturned, a judge has ruled. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ralph Zarefsky, in a decision made last week but announced publicly Tuesday, said federal law requires that new evidence pointing to Bruce Lisker's innocence be presented in state court before the case can proceed in federal court.

One way or another, the legal apparatus of California seems determined to get Bruce Lisker. The pursuit continues despite the fact that his murder conviction — for which he spent 26 years in prison — was overturned last year when a federal judge concluded that the original case against him was based on sloppy police work, incompetent representation by his attorney and "false evidence. " Ordinarily, defendants are convicted and imprisoned based on strong evidence and solid facts that lead to a determination of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

A spokesman for California Atty. General Jerry Brown said Thursday that his office was reconsidering a move to have a man whose murder conviction was overturned last year sent back to prison on procedural grounds. The announcement came about 24 hours after state lawyers had asked a judge to reverse her decision to overturn the murder conviction of Bruce Lisker. That ruling set Lisker free after he had served 26 years behind bars. The state attorneys had argued that Lisker, convicted of killing his mother in 1985, should be sent back to prison because the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in July in another case that inmates cannot file "untimely" petitions for release even if they can prove they are innocent.

Bruce Lisker was 17 in 1983 when he was charged with the murder of his mother, Dorka.State lawyers have asked a judge to reverse her decision to overturn the murder conviction of a man who was set free last year after serving 26 years in prison. Bruce Lisker, who was accused of killing his mother in 1985, should be sent back to prison because the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in another case that inmates should not be allowed to file late petitions for release even if they can prove they are innocent, according to the attorney general's motion filed late Wednesday.

A man wrongfully convicted of killing his mother and freed after serving 26 years in prison filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Los Angeles police detectives of framing him. Bruce Lisker, 44, contends his civil rights were violated by the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department and the former detectives who investigated his mother's March 10, 1983, slaying, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court. "It wasn't an innocent mistake, and those responsible should be held accountable," said attorney William Genego, who represents Lisker.

Re "Lisker's 26-year legal odyssey comes to an end," Sept. 22 Congratulations to The Times for its excellent investigative journalism in the Bruce Lisker case. It was very satisfying to read that he is finally free and will not be retried, for now at least. Even if the district attorney's office still had all the evidence and witnesses it had in 1983, it would still be very unlikely that Lisker would be convicted because he is innocent, as your reporting clearly showed. The party in this matter that should be prosecuted is the LAPD, for depriving Lisker of 26 years of his life.

Bruce Lisker, who served 26 years in prison for the murder of his mother, was released last month when a federal judge overturned his conviction. On Tuesday, his legal odyssey came to an end when the Los Angeles district attorney's office announced that it would not retry him for the 1983 slaying. These extraordinary events did not occur out of the blue, of course; they followed, among other things, a 2005 Times investigation by Scott Glover and Matt Lait that raised questions about key elements of the prosecution; a report suggesting that the confessions Lisker made were merely "self-serving" attempts to reach a plea-bargain deal; and a declaration by an expert that a bloody print in the bathroom was, in fact, not made by his shoes.

A forensic expert who testified for the prosecution at the 1985 murder trial of Bruce Lisker said Monday that blood spattered on Lisker's shoes and clothing did not prove he killed his mother and that a state appellate court mischaracterized his testimony by saying it did. "I could not reach that conclusion," Ronald R. Linhart testified during a hearing on Lisker's habeas corpus case in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

A veteran Los Angeles police sergeant who uncovered information casting doubt on a 20-year-old murder conviction testified Friday that he was told to cut his investigation short and was then berated by a supervisor when he objected. Sgt. Jim Gavin, an 18-year veteran of the LAPD, said he had unearthed inconsistencies in the 1985 murder conviction of Bruce Lisker, and that he wanted to continue his probe.

A San Fernando Valley man whose murder conviction was overturned last month walked out of court Monday a free man after prosecutors announced they would not retry him for his mother's 1983 slaying. "How can you put this into words?" said Bruce Lisker, 44, after a judge formally dismissed the murder charge during a hearing in a Los Angeles courtroom. "It's unbelievable." In requesting the dismissal, Head Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrick Dixon said much of the physical evidence had been lost or destroyed and some witnesses have died.

Re "D.A. to retry Lisker in mother's 1983 slaying," Aug. 22 I am so happy to see that the district attorney has so much extra money that he can afford to retry someone who has already spent 26 years in prison for a crime he may or may not have committed. This is another milestone in political posturing. Surely he has more recent and pressing crimes to prosecute -- say something that happened in the 21st century? Pat Allison Ventura Except for an understandable "confession" made by a mere kid trying to secure a plea deal, Bruce Lisker has proclaimed his innocence all along.