by TChris

It's easy for police and prosecutors to say "case closed" after a suspect confesses guilt, but -- as Charles Hickman's confession demonstrates -- not all admissions of guilt are grounded in fact.

Prosecutors are baffled about why Charles Hickman, 21, confessed to the [murder of a 10 year old girl] earlier this year, telling authorities that the fourth-grader was kidnapped and killed after she saw people making methamphetamine.

DNA testing of semen recovered from the girl's body now points to a different suspect. Murder charges against Hickman have been dropped. As is usually the case when a confession proves to be false, the reason Hickman told the story is unclear.

"I don't think the science in the case lies," said Hickman's attorney, John Plummer III. "I think the police have to follow what the facts are and not speculate as to why people say what they say sometimes."