CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A man accused of murder was released just days after the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled he cannot be retried after a former Charleston judge’s error.
John Joseph Erb was released from the Al Cannon Detention Center Tuesday, a day after the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled he cannot be retried for murder. In September 2023, Erb was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury in the death of Donald Blake , but the verdict was later overturned.
Now-disbarred Ninth Circuit Judge Bentley Price granted a mistrial after he “erroneously” questioned a juror who changed her mind in Erb’s guilt, according to a court filing.
The South Carolina Bar Association found Price unqualified for the bench in October 2023 .
Erb was accused of hitting Blake with a baseball ba