The Region : Firebomb Suspect Freed

A convicted murderer who is a reputed member of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang was acquitted of charges he firebombed and shot into a Pasadena home in 1982. Elrader Browning Jr., 31, of Pasadena was found guilty of the charges in 1983 and sentenced to 10 years in state prison, but his conviction was later overturned on appeal. At his second trial, Browning was found innocent of one count each of arson, possession of a destructive device and shooting into an inhabited dwelling. He had been held without bail, but Superior Court Judge Dion Morrow ordered him freed from custody after his acquittal. Prosecutors said that prior to the firebombing, Browning had been convicted of second-degree murder and sent to state prison.