A man who spent 24 years in jail for a murder he did not commit after a key witness lied has been finally freed.
Dontae Sharpe was granted a full pardon by North Caroline Governor Roy Copper, on Friday after decades fighting for his freedom.
Sharpe, an African American, was just 19-years-old when he was sentenced in 1995 for murdering George Radcliffe, 33, during a drug deal.
He was convicted based on the evidence given by Charlene Johnson, who was then 15-year-old and claimed to have seen Sharpe kill Radcliffe and described it in detail.
However, Johnson recanted her testimony two weeks later and after decades of trying to get his sentence overturned, two evidential hearings in 2019 destroyed the case against Sharpe.
Not only had Johnson withdraw her initial testimony, if tried again she would testify that "she was not present at the time of the shooting and that her trial testimony was entirely made up based on what she saw on television and what investigators told her."
In addition to that, the medical examiner of the trial, Dr Mary Gilliand only learned of Johnson's false testimony "well after the trial was over" and if called to a retrial would testify that Johnson's initial description of the shooting was "medically and scientifically impossible."
Sharpe is now eligible to apply for compensation of up to $750,000 (£560,000) after losing decades of his life, $50,000 for each year of wrongful imprisonment.
Speaking about the case, Cooper said: "I have carefully reviewed Dontae Sharpe's case and am granting him a Pardon of Innocence.
"Mr Sharpe and others who have been wrongly convicted deserve to have that injustice fully and publicly acknowledged."
Throughout his sentence, Sharpe maintained his innocence and refused to take a lighter sentence in exchange for a guilty plea.
After being declared innocent, Sharpe said: "I'm still in a haze, kind of. When you're dealing with us human beings, it can go any way, yes and no.
"I didn't know what to expect. I was believing for a pardon."
"My family's name has been cleared. It's a burden off of my shoulders and my family's shoulders."
Sharpe continues his fight to help others who have been convicted wrongfully.
He added: "My freedom is still incomplete as long as there's still people going to prison wrongfully, if there's still people in prison wrongfully and there's still people that are waiting on pardons.
"I've been in there and know there are guys that are innocent and know that our system is corrupt and needs to be changed."
This is far from the first time an African American has been convicted of a crime they did not commit.
Ronnie Long, 64, was sentenced to 80 years in prison for rape and burglary in 1976 but released after spending 44 years behind bars.
He had always maintained his innocence too.
Robert McClendon, Ricky Jackson, and Laurese Glover served a total of 76 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit.
