Valentino Dixon's murder conviction was last week overturned and he walked free from a US jail after spending 27 years inside.
It was his artworks of golf courses, drawn from his prison cell, that made him famous.
But what most people do not know is that for almost half of his time behind bars he has been married to an Australian woman who lives in Sydney.
"I never looked at Valentino as a murderer, ever," wife Louise Dixon told 7.30.
Mr Dixon was sentenced to life in prison in 1991 after an anonymous tip-off falsely pointed the finger at him for killing a teenager in a street gunfight in Buffalo, New York.
Astonishingly at the time, Mr Dixon's friend Lamaar Scott was taped confessing to the crime but was never convicted.
At the suggestion of a prison superintendent, Mr Dixon drew a golf course, and he has been drawing them ever since.
"I can't explain it, but it's a very peaceful thing for me," Mr Dixon told 7.30.
"It's the serenity, the green, the people in it, the nature."
He sent some of his pictures to Golf Digest, which took an interest in his case. The media attention led to a successful appeal.
On condition of pleading guilty to a lesser charge, Mr Dixon walked free.
Married in prison
Australian Louise Dixon was looking for art online 17 years ago when she came across Mr Dixon's illustrations.
"I met Louise, she wrote me, we became friends, pen pals, you know," Mr Dixon told 7.30.
"We wrote for quite a bit of time, and she decided that she wanted to come meet me."
Ms Dixon said curiosity got the better of her and she thought maybe he was telling the truth about being innocent.
"The minute I met him I really knew everything he has written me, everything he had said, it was genuine, and from that moment forwards I was just like, 'I'm in for the ride'," she said.
The pair married at the prison in 2002.
"We were able to spend some time together," Mr Dixon said.
"The prison allows for couples to be together if I completed a certain amount of programs and stay out of trouble.
"We were together as man and wife — we had that opportunity."
Determined to meet again
Ms Dixon overstayed her US visa while supporting Mr Dixon and was deported back to Australia in 2006.
The pair have not seen each other now for 12 years.
She cannot visit the US and he might not be able to visit Australia, on account of his guilty plea deal to get his freedom.
But they are determined to find a way.
"She's sent me a ton of pictures. You know, I've seen the Opera House, I know about Bondi Beach, I've seen pictures of that and it's a beautiful place," Mr Dixon said.
"I just look forward to having an opportunity to be over there."
Watch Andy Park's story on Valentino and Louise Dixon tonight on 7.30.
