BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WBRC ) - A federal judge has ruled that a man who has been on death row for more than 30 years deserves a new trial.

In March 1992, Thelma Bishop Roberts was raped and stabbed to death in her home in Montgomery.

According to court documents, Christopher Barbour confessed to the crime, claiming that he killed Roberts after he, and Michael Mitchell, aided and abetted Christopher Hester in raping her.

In 1993, a jury in Montgomery County convicted Barbour of raping and stabbing Roberts to death. He was convicted of capital murder and later sentenced to death.

Court documents say that on May 21, 2001, Barbour filed a federal habeas corpus petition which is a legal order that demands authorities justify a person’s detention by bringing them before the court to determine

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