Man faces retrial in 1982 Newport slaying

A man who was released from prison after a judge overturned his 1982 conviction for killing a Newport Beach retiree during a home robbery will be retried by Orange County prosecutors.

James Andrew Melton, 60, was originally convicted of seducing 77-year-old Anthony Lial DeSousa and then strangling the retiree in his Newport Beach condiminium. His body was discovered nude and beaten.

He is now charged with murder during the commission of a burglary and robbery and faces life in prison without parole.

Melton will appear in court June 22, where his attorney will argue that the case should be dismissed.

Between 1982 and 2007, Melton was housed in San Quentin State Prison. A federal judge then threw out his conviction, saying Melton was too heavily medicated during the trial to understand the proceedings before him or participate in his own defense.

—Joseph Serna

Twitter: @JosephSerna