Fox News: Nicaragua Frees American Man
American Eric Volz was freed by a judge on Friday despite an uproar in Nicaragua after an appeals court overturned his conviction and 30-year-sentence in the slaying of his Nicaraguan girlfriend.
The 28-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, accompanied by his mother, planned to immediately catch a flight to Atlanta.
"There will be no further comment until we receive confirmation that Eric is safely out of Nicaragua," Volz family spokeswoman Melissa Campbell said in an email to The Associated Press.
Live television broadcasts showed a news media caravan following his police-escorted car from a prison hospital where Volz was treated for kidney stones to the office where he was to sign release papers.
An appeals court on Monday overturned Volz's conviction in the death of 25-year-old Doris Ivania Jimenez, enraging prosecutors, human rights and women's rights activists who believe Volz is guilty.
The court upheld the conviction of a Nicaraguan man in the murder. A surfer-turned-real-estate-broker who also founded a local magazine in Nicaragua, Volz has claimed his innocence all along, saying he was two hours away from the crime scene at the time.
Volz's release was ordered by the same judge who convicted him, a step that is required by Nicaraguan law. Judge Ivett Toruno, who convicted Volz, waited four days before agreeing to release him, citing problems with the files.
Volz's attorney claimed the judge was delaying the process to allow time for another appeal. It wasn't clear Friday where that effort stood. "There will be no further comment until we receive confirmation that Eric is safely out of Nicaragua," Volz family spokeswoman Melissa Campbell said in an email to The Associated Press.
The 28-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, accompanied by his mother, planned to immediately catch a flight to Atlanta.
"There will be no further comment until we receive confirmation that Eric is safely out of Nicaragua," Volz family spokeswoman Melissa Campbell said in an email to The Associated Press.
Live television broadcasts showed a news media caravan following his police-escorted car from a prison hospital where Volz was treated for kidney stones to the office where he was to sign release papers.
An appeals court on Monday overturned Volz's conviction in the death of 25-year-old Doris Ivania Jimenez, enraging prosecutors, human rights and women's rights activists who believe Volz is guilty.
The court upheld the conviction of a Nicaraguan man in the murder. A surfer-turned-real-estate-broker who also founded a local magazine in Nicaragua, Volz has claimed his innocence all along, saying he was two hours away from the crime scene at the time.
Volz's release was ordered by the same judge who convicted him, a step that is required by Nicaraguan law. Judge Ivett Toruno, who convicted Volz, waited four days before agreeing to release him, citing problems with the files.
Volz's attorney claimed the judge was delaying the process to allow time for another appeal. It wasn't clear Friday where that effort stood. "There will be no further comment until we receive confirmation that Eric is safely out of Nicaragua," Volz family spokeswoman Melissa Campbell said in an email to The Associated Press.
posted by Daily Observer at 11:47 PM
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