Former Pennsylvania death row inmate freed after prosecutors drop charges before start of retrial

YORK, Pa. (AP) — A former Pennsylvania death row inmate who spent more than two decades locked up has been released from prison following the dismissal of murder charges in two 1998 killings that he blamed on his brother, who died in prison. Noel Montalvo, who turned 59 Tuesday, was freed Monday after York County prosecutors dismissed murder and other charges and he pleaded guilty to evidence tampering. The York Dispatch reports that he was greeted by friends and supporters and said he was looking forward to going home. He and his brother were convicted of killing two women in 1998, but prosecutors say the evidence now only points to his brother.