Culpeper County Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Close hand-delivered a letter to the Star-Exponent Monday afternoon announcing his resignation effective Tuesday.

"It is not an easy decision," the letter says. "My inclination is to fight back. But in the final analysis, I do not think a protracted battle is good for the office of commonwealth's attorney or for Culpeper County."

Close's resignation comes about a week after a federal judge overturned his 2001 capital murder conviction of Michael Wayne Hash. The judge in his lengthy opinion cited extreme prosecutorial and police misconduct in how the case was handled.

Lead investigator on the case was Scott Jenkins, current Culpeper County Sheriff.

U.S. District Judge James C. Turk gave local authorities six months to retry Hash or set him free.

On Friday, Hash was transferred to the regional jail in Albemarle so he could be closer to his family in Crozet. His attorneys are requesting he be let out of jail while a special prosecutor decides whether to release him for good.

A bond hearing for Hash will be held Wednesday at 1:30 in Culpeper County Circuit Court.