Judge grants Beach a new trial for 1979 crime

HELENA — There is enough evidence of innocence to order a new trial for a man who has spent nearly 30 years in prison for murder — but not enough proof yet to set Barry Beach free, a judge ruled.

Beach told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday that the decision, subject to appeal to the Supreme Court, was a huge breakthrough "after 32 years of fighting the system."

The case has gripped the small northeastern Montana town of Poplar since 17-year-old Kim Nees was killed in 1979 on a festive summer night at a popular riverside spot for teenagers to party. And it has for...