US: University innocence project secures release of man after 32 years over unfair trial

Andrew Wilson, 62, smiled as he was reunited with his family after being released from Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail to cheers from the university law students who secured his release.

“This is unbelievable. This is unbelievable,” Mr Wilson said.

He was arrested in 1984 over the killing of Christopher Hanson, 21, who was stabbed to death in Los Angeles.

Superior Court Judge Laura Priver ordered him freed after prosecutors admitted he was not given a fair trial.

Mr Wilson’s mother, Margie Davis, who lives in St Louis, remained loyal to him throughout his ordeal.

He said: “My mother was the backbone. She was a 96-year-old pit bull.”

Ms Davis said she cannot believe she will see her son again.

“I prayed for what I thought was the impossible,” she told KABC-TV. “I prayed for his release. And evidently it wasn’t impossible. It’s been granted me.”

Students at Loyola Law School’s Project for the Innocent identified various due-process violations in Mr Wilson’s case.

“It’s been a nightmare but I survived and got to the end of the road,” Mr Wilson said.