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Man held 900 days as material witness gains freedom and a check after testy testimony

A man held more than 900 days as a material witness in an alleged murder by his son gained his freedom on Thursday after testifying that he never heard his son confess to the crime.

Benito Vasquez-Hernandez also told jurors in Hillsboro, Oregon, that he didn’t see blood on his son and in his van, and he didn’t his son him throw a bloody knife in the trash, report the Associated Press and the Oregonian.

Prosecutor Jeff Lesowski said Vasquez-Hernandez’s testimony differed from his earlier statements to police, the stories say. “Sir, your voice is on a tape recorder,” Lesowski said. “Does that help you remember?”

Vasquez-Hernandez denied making any such statements to police.

After the hearing, Vasquez-Hernandez was released with nearly $6,000 to compensate him for his time held as a material witness.

Vasquez-Hernandez’s son, Eloy Vasquez-Santiago, is charged with fatally stabbing a co-worker in August 2012. Vasquez-Santiago told police he stabbed the woman while on a date because she insulted him, according to a prior report. The body has not been found.

Another son of Vasquez-Hernandez’s was held 727 days in jail as a material witness before he gave a video deposition and was released last September. Doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia and said he likely suffered his first psychotic break in jail.

Vasquez-Hernandez didn’t testify in a pretrial video. Instead he used his deposition time to complain about his jailing.