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Placerville Hometown Newspaper Tracks Twists Of Wrongful Conviction Murder Case

PLACERVILLE (CBS) — CBS13 went into the archives of the Mountain Democrat, the oldest newspapers in California, with Mimi Escobar, who has worked at the newspaper for decades and covered the murder of Jane Hylton in 1985.

On Thursday, Ricky Davis, the man who was convicted of murdering Hylton, was set free after 15 years behind bars thanks to new DNA evidence. Another man, 51-year-old Michael Green, was arrested in Placer County on murder charges this week.

Escobar knew Hylton, who was a fellow female journalist in the small community of Placerville.

"I knew Jane, she worked for another publication, but we ran into each other at social events," she said. "When it's somebody you know, it's doubly disturbing."

READ: Ricky Davis Is Second Person Exonerated Due To Genealogy DNA

Also disturbing, Escobar had access to the crime scene and saw the aftermath of the violent scene.

"You could go right up to the door and knock on the door," said Escobar.

When Ricky Davis was sentenced 15 years to life in prison, it didn't surprise Escobar, who said the community had been hunting for closure.

"We were looking for an answer, we wanted to glum on to something desperately," said Escobar.

She calls this latest twist in the case a shock. Ricky Davis is now a free man, and a new suspect, Michael Green, now in custody. Green is one of three teen boys the victim's daughter was with, on the night of the murder.

READ ALSO: Could 51-Year-Old Murder Suspect Michael Green Be Tried As A Juvenile?

"Neighbors, the community, the students at Oak Ridge High School, now it's really shocking," she said.

Her daughters went to high school around the same time as Green, an eerie fact now becoming clear.

"One of your classmates could be this evil," said Escobar.

For this team, the story is far from over.

"Whoever did it, it was a very evil murder. For someone to be stabbed that many times, there is a lot of venom there," she said

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