TX - Lan Thuan Bui, 14, found dead on Haltom City playground, 7 Feb 2005

Laverne Pratt walked out of the Tarrant County Jail on Wednesday a free man.

Behind bars for almost a year, Pratt, 44, was released shortly after 4:30 p.m., about an hour after a Tarrant County jury acquitted him in the
stabbing death of 14-year-old Lan Bui at the Haltom City apartment complex where they both lived.

"I feel fine," Pratt said, surrounded by jubilant friends and relatives. "No, I'm not angry. I had confidence in God."

The jury of seven women and five men deliberated about five hours Wednesday before deciding that prosecutors had not proved that Pratt killed the girl.

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In the back of the courtroom, Bui's mother, Vicky Rios, also wept.

Rios said she is convinced that Pratt is guilty.

"I know, from all the stuff I have seen, that he was the right person," she said. "With all the evidence that was presented during the trial, I don't see how the jury could come back with any verdict other than guilty."

Rios speculated that laws and court system restrictions kept jurors from seeing the whole picture -- such as the fact that Pratt gave police three statements that contradicted one another.

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Prosecutors remain convinced of Pratt's guilt and have no plans to charge anyone else, Assistant District Attorney Steve Jumes said after the verdict.

"We tried the man who committed the crime," Jumes said. "Personally, I'll be doing a lot of soul-searching of what could I have done better. Emotionally,
it's disappointing."

Haltom City police officials will figure out how to approach the investigation in light of the acquittal, Detective Terry Stayer said shortly after the verdict.

"The jury made their decision, and that's what the legal system is about," Stayer said. "But we just found out ourselves. To make any comments about
what's going on would be premature."

Rios had her doubts that police will find a suspect other than Pratt.

"All the evidence pointed to him, and the law says Laverne Pratt can never be charged again," she said.

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