A federal appeals court has refused to grant a new trial to a former Army surgeon convicted of slaughtering his pregnant wife and two young daughters at Fort Bragg nearly half a century ago.
Jeffrey MacDonald has adamantly claimed innocence in the 1970 murders. It became known as the "Fatal Vision" case, the title of a 1983 true-crime book.
After decades of failed appeals, MacDonald again sought to clear his name by asking the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a federal judge's 2014 ruling rejecting a new trial. On Friday, the 4th Circuit court upheld that ruling.
MacDonald's latest appeal was based on hairs that did not match the family's DNA and a deputy U.S. marshal who accused the prosecution of intimidating a witness.