Man acquitted in 1994 killings claims wrongful incarceration

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A former police officer acquitted in the slaying of two Kentucky brothel workers 23 years ago has filed a federal wrongful incarceration lawsuit against the officer he says falsely charged him.

News outlets report former Oak Grove police Officer Ed Carter filed the lawsuit against former Kentucky State Police Officer Jason Newby last Thursday after being acquitted in September 2016 in the cold-case deaths of 18-year-old Gloria Ross and 22-year-old Candace Belt. The women were shot and stabbed at New Life Massage Parlor in Oak Grove in September 1994.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial, and says Carter spent three years in jail because of a “profoundly shoddy” investigation, including “fabricated conclusions.”

Newby is now a Hopkinsville police officer. WDRB-TV couldn’t reach him for comment.