After thirty-four years in prison, now fifty-three year old Kash Delano Register will soon be a free man. A Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge made the determination to release him Thursday after the original testimony in a1979 murder case was determined to be a lie. For the last thirty-four years, Register has sat behind bars trying to convince prosecutors that he was innocent of the crime.

New Testimony

Register’s problems began back in 1979 when his high school classmate, Brenda Anderson, testified that she had witnessed Register shoot her elderly neighbor, Jack Sasson, to death. During the evening of April 6, 1979, Anderson had originally testified that she heard gunshots coming from her neighbors’ house. When she looked out the window to see what was going on, she noticed an African American man running out from the neighbors’ carport. She later identified the man as Register. The original trial relied heavily on Anderson’s testimony. There was very little physical evidence linking Register to the crime. Register claimed his innocence and even had an alibi for the night of the shooting. Despite the lack of evidence, Register was still found guilty and sentenced to serve a minimum of twenty-seven years in prison and upwards to a maximum of life in prison.

In late 2011, Register got lucky when Brenda Anderson’s sister. Sharon Anderson, came forward and said her sister’s original testimony was a lie. According to Sharon, her sister and she had tried to tell police in 1979 that they were not positive that Register was the right man. According to Sharon, when the sisters were shown six pictures of possible suspects they told prosecutors they were not sure which one it could be. Sharon admitted that her and her sister had recently stole Avon from their neighbor. Afraid of being locked up for it, Brenda Anderson testified that Register was the guy, but Sharon told police Register wasn’t the right man. Sharon’s story was never disclosed to the defense or during trial.

Always Maintained His Innocence

Now, after three decades, Sharon’s testimony has set Register free. Register has been offered the chance of freedom several times before. During all 11 parole hearings, Register had refused to admit his guilt in the crime resulting in his request for parole being denied. According to register, he’d rather serve life in prison than admit to a crime he knew he did not commit.

“I’m just at a numb feeling right now. It just hasn’t really set in,” Register said in regard to his freedom. Although Register is not a free man yet, Register’s attorneys expect him to be released from prison soon. It is still not decided if LA County prosecutors will appeal the decision or attempt to re-try him. With the lack of evidence found in the original case, it is unlikely that a re-trial would be successful unless new evidence were to arise.

Who really killed Jack Sasson on the night of April 6th, 1979 still remains a mystery. With Register free, Sasson’s murder may remain a cold case unless new technology can identify the blood spatter found at the scene.