Detectives who broke a 21-year-old cold case in 2007, only to have the charges dismissed by a judge who found there wasn't enough evidence, are being sued in federal court.

Diana Rader, of North Huntingdon, filed a federal lawsuit claiming malicious prosecution against the city of Pittsburgh and Detectives J.R. Smith and Scott Evans, and former city Detective Terry Hediger, who now works for Allegheny County.

Ms. Rader was charged in March 2007 with shooting her husband, Raymond Marzoch, on Feb. 15, 1986, while he sat in a parked car on the third floor of the Downtown Kaufmann's parking garage.

However, following a preliminary hearing that concluded April 17, 2007, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Lawrence J. O'Toole dismissed the charges against Ms. Rader.

According to the lawsuit, police investigated Mr. Marzoch's homicide thoroughly at the time, and knew his wife wasn't present at the shooting.

Ms. Rader claims that detectives working the case in 2007 misrepresented or withheld information from the grand jury that would have established her innocence.

Ms. Rader is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The city solicitor's office said it had not yet seen the lawsuit and could not comment.