ATLANTA — A nearly 30-year-old murder case is back under scrutiny, as new forensic testimony and a disputed witness account take center stage in a habeas hearing for Michael Chapel.
Chapel is seeking to overturn his conviction in the 1993 killing of Emogene Thompson, arguing the state failed to disclose key evidence and that the physical evidence does not fully support the original theory of the crime.
But during Tuesday’s hearing, prosecutors sharply pushed back, calling the claims unfounded and the witness at the center of the case unreliable.
The dispute: Was evidence withheld?
At the heart of the hearing is a Brady claim, a legal argument that prosecutors withheld potentially exculpatory evidence…