A New Jersey man sentenced to 22 years in prison for the beating death of another man has had his conviction overturned after an appeals court found police made an unlawful search of his possessions.

Yves Marcellus pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the 2016 death of Matthew Murrell in Union Township.

The appeals court on Wednesday held that evidence discovered in a room rented by Marcellus's mother in his aunt's house should have been suppressed even though his aunt consented to the search of the room.

The search was complicated by the fact that Marcellus's mother speaks Creole, which the officers didn't speak or understand.