Prosecutors have dismissed charges against the boy (only 12 years old at the time of the crime) who was convicted of killing 8 year old Amy Yates in Carrolton, Ga. The dismissal was, however, without prejudice, and theoretically, prosecutors could reinstate charges against the boy (now 14 or 15) pending the results of a grand jury investigation into the case. The boy's conviction had been vacated by the trial court months ago after a new confessor, eighteen year old Chris Gossett, came forward, confessed to being the real killer, and provided details that only the true killer could have known. Gossett, who is mentally disabled, confessed repeatedly to police, his parents, a local preacher, and then later recanted his confession. The grand jury is set to convene some time in October so the last chapter in this saga -- which has seen the father of the victim turn from wanting to see the 12 year old boy punished as an adult, to supporting him and calling for greater protections for children in the police station -- has yet to be written.
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