Q: How long did the man convicted of killing Bill Withrow spend in prison? - Fritz, Fair Oaks
A: The Bee was unable to determine the number of years Bobby Gene Henry spent in prison over the 1988 slaying because the court proceedings involve two trials and a finally a plea agreement, according to court records and Bee reports.
On May 26, 1999, a federal appellate court threw out the 1990 conviction of Henry for killing 40-year-old Bill Withrow, a prominent real estate broker in Fair Oaks.
The court said the conviction of Henry, now 63, was illegal because of what it called the "slippery and illegal tactics" of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department in getting Henry to confess, The Bee reported.
The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals freed Henry from prison, where he had been held since his conviction.
Henry was convicted of second-degree in July 1990 at his second trial and sentenced to 17 years to life in prison.
A jury in February 1990 ended in a deadlock with an 11-1 vote to acquit Henry on a charge of first-degree murder, The Bee reported.
On Jan. 16, 2001, court records show Henry pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
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