Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota announced Wednesday he will drop the murder charges against Martin Tankleff in the 1988 killing of his parents in Belle Terre.

Spota said his office will formally drop the indictment against Tankleff at a scheduled Jan. 18 court conference. He said he also plans to ask Gov. Eliot Spitzer for a special prosecutor to investigate claims made by Tankleff that implicated one of his father's business associates in the crimes.

?It is no longer possible to reasonably assert that the case ... would be successful," Spota said. Tankleff watched the announcement live on News 12 Long Island. He thanked those in the media who he said took an objective point of view on his case.

Tankleff?s attorney, Bruce Barket, said he knew his client would be exonerated but didn?t expect it to happen so quickly. Barket would not discuss whether or not Tankleff will take any legal action. Tankleff and his full legal team will hold a press conference Thursday morning. Tankleff was set free on $1 million bail on Dec. 27 after an appeals court overturned his conviction, saying new evidence suggested someone else might have killed his parents.

Tankleff was convicted in 1990 for the murder of his parents in their home. He served 17 years of his 50-years-to-life sentence.AP wire reports contributed to this article.

Click for reaction from Tankleff and Barket

District Attorney Spota's full comments about dropping of charges

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