Confession is good for the soul

As James Brewer lay in hospital after suffering a stroke, he knew he must 'cleanse his soul' if he was to meet his maker with a clear conscience.

The factory worker from Oklahoma had been arrested on suspicionof shooting dead a man in a jealous rage in 1977 but skipped bail. In a final effort to do the right thing, he had polic summoned to his bedside, where they claim he confessed.

But Mr Brewer, 58, made a full recovery and has now been charged with the murder of Jimmy Carroll, the neighbour he suspected of trying to seduce his wife, and faces the death penalty if convicted.

Mr Brewer, and his wife, Dorothy, have lived undetected in Oklahoma for 32 years after fleeing Tennessee where he is alleged to have shot his rival twice outside a petrol station.

The couple built a new life and became pillars of their local church before Mr Brewer fell ill. Their pastor, the Rev Lawrence Guest, said: 'They've been in their own prison for the last 30 years. I think they've done their time.'