Darien Harris, a resident of Chicago, spent more than twelve years of a 76-year sentence in prison for murder due to a witness testimony that connected him to the crime.
According to CTV, Harris was released this week when it was clarified to the judge that the key witness in the case was blind.
At the age of eighteen, Harris was arrested on suspicion of murder in a gas station which happened while he chanced to be walking along a nearby street. The sole evidence for his conviction came from a security camera, which showed an unidentified man exiting a vehicle and shooting the victim, and testimony from one Dexter Saffold.
Saffold is legally blind, a matter that was not brought up in court, including when Harris was picked out of a lineup by the witness.
After twelve years in prison, Harris, along with his cellmate, managed to prove through independent research that Saffold is legally blind. Harris's attorneys appealed to the court to reopen the case.
“I finally made it. Twelve and a half years, I made it," Harris stated to reporters when he was released. "I missed some of my best years,” he added. “But man, I’m finna live some good years now.”
His attorneys have announced that Harris intends to study law, with the aim of helping others in the same situation he faced fight systemic perversions of justice.