Madison County prosecutors have dropped murder charges against a man arrested last week in connection with a homicide in November.

According to court documents, Walter Escorcia-Gomez, 29, has been ordered released from jail.

Escorcia-Gomez was arrested last Thursday in connection to a killing on Nov. 21 in the 3900 block of Cobb Road.

Officers in the area on an unrelated call located the victim, Francisco Ramirez, 33, after hearing a loud altercation and gunshots. Ramirez was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators believed the shooting resulted following a verbal altercation between acquaintances.

Escorcia-Gomez was arrested last Thursday morning, when a police officer called to Huntsville Hospital recognized Escorcia-Gomez, an assault victim, as the murder suspect from November.

In a court filing, prosecutors recommended charges be dropped after they “obtained statements and information” indicating he was “not guilty.”

WHNT quoted Tim Douthit, chief trial attorney for the Madison County District Attorney’s office, as saying that Escorcia-Gomez’s statement, coupled with eyewitness statements and video evidence, appeared to show he was acting in self defense.

“Mr. Ramirez had threatened to kill him and pulled out what appeared to be a firearm and then Mr. Escorcia-Gomez shot him,” Douthit said.