Mo. court overturns conviction in St. Louis murder

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri Supreme Court has overturned the murder conviction of a St. Louis man in a fatal shooting involving a drug deal.

The high court ruled Tuesday that a trial judge should have let Jermane Clark's lawyer ask a prosecution witness if he believed his testimony would help get him a favorable sentence in an unrelated case.

Clark was convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the December 2008 killing of Morris Thompson.

One of the two primary witnesses was Maurice Payne, who testified that Clark shot Thompson after Payne sold the victim some crack cocaine. Payne had recently been sent to a drug court for an unrelated case.