A federal appeals court in Lincoln said Thursday a jury should decide whether authorities conspired to build a false case against a Nebraska man who was wrongfully charged in a double murder.
The court ruled there is evidence to show that Cass County authorities and the Nebraska State Patrol joined forces with crime scene investigator David Kofoed to fabricate a case against Matt Livers and his cousin Nicholas Sampson.
Both men spent months in custody before they were cleared in the 2006 shotgun slayings of Wayne and Sharmon Stock at a Cass County farmhouse.
Kofoed was later found guilty of evidence tampering and sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Livers alleges that he was coerced into a false confession. The court ruled that his lawsuit can proceed.
