Man says admitted killer confessed falsely

CHICAGO, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- A friend of Alstory Simon, who admitted shooting two people in a Chicago park in 1982, says Simon told him he did not commit the crime.

Simon's confession led to the exoneration of Anthony Porter, who had been sentenced to death. The case was investigated by David Protess, a Northwestern University professor who has cleared several deathrow inmates.

Robert Braun, a Milwaukee community activist, said he asked Simon in 1999 if he had killed Jerry Hillard and Marilyn Green, the Chicago Tribune reported. At a news conference arranged by Simon's lawyers, Braun told reporters Simon said no.

Simon, who is serving a 37-year prison term, now claims Protess and his students tricked him into a confession by promising him a short sentence and saying he could make money off the case. Protess denies that claim.

Protess became interested in Simon after Marilyn Green's mother, Ofra, told him she believed he had killed her daughter and Hillard in a dispute about a drug deal.