A Minnesota man who spent nearly 2 1/2 years in prison for a fatal Toyota crash walked free Thursday, after a judge ordered a new trial and a prosecutor said she wouldn’t prolong the case reopened in the wake of the carmaker’s widely publicized sudden acceleration problems.
Koua Fong Lee, 32, of St. Paul, jumped up and hugged his attorney after Ramsey County District Judge Joanne Smith said she had seen enough new evidence to warrant a retrial. Soon after, county attorney Susan Gaertner said there wouldn’t be one.
