Willie Earl Green was arrested 25 years ago for shooting to death a woman in a crack house. Today, his conviction has been overturned by L.A. Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus, and he has been freed from jail.

The decision to set Green, 56, free came after a key witness to the murder, Willie Finley, admitted to having been high on either crack or cocaine at the house in South Los Angeles at the time of the murder, and in fact unable to positively identify Green. Had the court been privvy to this information during the original trial, the judge ruled, the case would have been thrown out.

As he left San Quentin State Prison, Green, who has maintained his innocence throughout his ordeal, had this to say to reporters: "I do not hate anybody. I am a better man today. I graduated from college. I teach school. I teach men. The men in San Quentin believe in me. I would like to thank the media for being here today. If you didn't believe in me you wouldn't be here, thank you."

Photo by Still Burning via Flickr