CHICAGO, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- An Illinois man accused of killing his daughter and her friend five years ago was released as new DNA evidence linked another man to the crimes, officials said.
Jerry Hobbs, 39, was arrested shortly after calling police in Zion, Ill., in May 2005 to tell them he found the bodies of his daughter Laura, 8, and her friend Krystal Tobias, 9, in a local park.
Hobbs confessed to killing them, but later said he was coerced and pleaded not guilty, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.
"We're glad that Jerry has been released today. It's been a long time coming," Keith Grant, an assistant public defender, said.
Hobbs's mother in Wichita Falls, Texas, said she's been told Illinois officials will escort her son to Texas. UPI
