In a 4-3 majority, the Connecticut Supreme Court reversed the appellate court’s judgment affirming a defendant’s criminal conviction, concluding that state prosecutors failed to show sufficient evidence to explain the delay in issuing an arrest warrant and executing it past time limitations.

Terry Freeman challenged his felony conviction from a robbery that allegedly occurred at a liquor store on Nov. 29, 2013. Freeman argued that his arrest warrant wasn’t executed until Dec. 6, 2018, a seven-day (or five, not counting weekends) delay after the five-year statute of limitations expired. Freeman further claimed that prosecutors failed to show reasonable evidence that they acted diligently in executing the warrant.