And in San Francisco, prosecutors have dropped charges against four of the eight former Black Panthers recently charged for the 1971 killing of a police officer. The group is known as the San Francisco Eight. They were arrested in 2007, except for two who were already in jail serving lengthy sentences. One of the eight, Harold Taylor, and two others were first charged with the murder in 1975, but a judge tossed out the charges. The three said they made false confessions after police in New Orleans tortured them. This week, prosecutors dropped charges against Taylor, as well as Ray Boudreaux, Henry Jones, and Richard Brown. The two San Francisco Eight members already in jail — Anthony Bottom and Herman Bell — have meanwhile pleaded guilty to reduced charges. The lone remaining defendant, Francisco Torres, is scheduled to appear in court next month.