TOLEDO — DNA evidence that helped free a man who served 19 years of a life sentence on a murder conviction matches that of another man who is in prison for committing another murder, investigators said.

        Now investigators are planning to take another sample from Sherman Preston, a prisoner at the Lebanon Correctional Facility, to determine whether he had a role in the 1981 strangling death and rape of Bobbie Russell, a 28-year-old mother of three.

        Mr. Preston is in jail for the 1983 murder of Denise Howell of Toledo. His DNA was in a database of 30,000 violent offenders who have been imprisoned in Ohio. Lucas County prosecutors have known about the match since Feb. 16.

        Investigators this week obtained a search warrant to get a second sample so they can confirm the DNA match discovered by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

        On Monday, Danny Brown, 44, of Toledo, was released from prison and granted a new trial because DNA and polygraph tests cast doubt about his conviction in Mr. Russell's death.

        “If we can put a case together, we intend to prosecute the culpable party or parties,” said Dean Mandross, head of the criminal division of the Lucas County prosecutor's office.

        Mr. Brown remains charged with Mr. Russell's murder until prosecutors dismiss the case or take him to trial. Jon Richardson, Mr. Brown's attorney, said it is unlikely that his client will be prosecuted again.

        “We now have the only new evidence left to discover, and it's no surprise that it further exonerates Danny,” Mr. Richardson said.

        Prosecutors also said they will investigate whether Mr. Brown has any connections to Mr. Preston.

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