Brazilian jury dismisses conviction in death of American nun

(CNN) - A Brazilian rancher previously convicted of orchestrating the 2005 killing of an American nun has been acquitted in a second trial, after another man implicated in the crime contradicted his earlier testimony and said there had not been an order to carry out the assassination.

A jury in the Para state capital of Belem voted 5-2 to dismiss Vitalmiro "Bida" Bastos de Moura's conviction on charges of ordering Sister Dorothy Stang's death, a court statement said.

"We'll continue to fight and hope for better results," said Stang's brother, David, who had traveled from the United States to Brazil for the trial.

The murder of Stang - gunned down along a muddy road in northern Brazil's rainforest - was often seen as emblematic of the fierce struggle for land within the Amazon region.