An innocent man was overjoyed and overflown with emotions as he was exonerated after spending 21 years in prison for the crime he never committed.

44-year-old John Miller has lost nearly half of his life living out the sentence for the crime he never committed after being falsely accused of murdering Anthony Mullen in an armed robbery back in 1996.

Due to the star witness’s confession at the time, the judge found Miller guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison.

Witness David Williams accused Miller of shooting the victim with his neighbor’s gun in order to receive a more lenient sentence in a separate case. Later on, however, he retracted that statement and claimed he lied because he wasn’t fond of Miller.

“I can’t live with this on my conscience. Your son had no knowledge of this crime. He wasn’t even there. I lied on him,” Williams wrote in a letter to Miller’s mother, Velma, back in 2002.

Despite his confession, however, the authorities failed to act on it for over a decade.

Around eight years ago, Miller’s case was picked up by Pennsylvania Innocence Project who uncovered the evidence that was previously kept hidden from the man’s defense team.

After a long legal battle, Pennsylvania-based Miller has finally been freed from State Correctional Facility in Frackville.

Following the controversial case, the DA’s office admitted that the piece of evidence involving the false statement was key and that there’s “insufficient evidence” to pursue the trial any longer.

“I’m very happy and excited that after 21 years I’m finally being heard and that my innocence has reached the surface. I’m going home to my family. I’m overwhelmed, excited, and happy,” Miller said after his release according to the statement provided by his lawyers.

What are your thoughts on this case? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends and follow us on Facebook for more news and stories!