A former employee at the family dentist who had been charged with murdering his wife has been granted a new life in Australia.
Dr. Robert J. Wortley, 74, was arrested in June and charged with the murder of his wife, Nancy, after she allegedly died from a ruptured appendix.
Dr Wortleys arrest came after a lengthy investigation into his family practice.
He was found guilty of first-degree murder in November and sentenced to life in prison.
His wife, meanwhile, died in prison in January of last year.
A petition seeking his release was submitted in March and was turned down.
A judge will decide whether to release him in June.
His lawyer, Mark McAllister, said his client was grateful to be able to get a new start.
A spokeswoman for the Australian Department of Health said he will be allowed to remain in Australia while his case is investigated. “
I think this is a wonderful move by the judge that allows him to go back to the kind of life he was in when he was an early patient of Dr. Worts family.”
A spokeswoman for the Australian Department of Health said he will be allowed to remain in Australia while his case is investigated.
The family of Nancy Wortles, 74 — who died in a prison cell after a rupturing appendix in April — said their family has received a new lease on life in the U.S. The Wortses had been in custody since their arrest in June after a police investigation into the death.