Ex-inmate's name cleared in rape
He now can pursue $2 million from the state
Nearly three months out of prison, Michael Anthony Green on Wednesday received news he's long been waiting for — that the state of Texas said he was actually innocent for the crime that kept him behind bars for 27 years.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' unanimous ruling is an enormous weight lifted off of the Houston man's shoulders.
"I almost feel like crying from the joy," Green, 45, said. "It's great for the state to acknowledge something I tried to tell them from the get-go."
The court's decision clears the way for Green to work toward a settlement of more than $2 million from the state, his attorney, Bob Wicoff said.
Green is expected to be taxed on the money, which he may get by the end of the year, Wicoff said.
He said legislators may change that law in the next session, which could be retroactive and make Green's money tax-free.
Wicoff said Wednesday's ruling was not a surprise because no one objected to the trial court's finding that Green was actually innocent.
Wicoff said he also expects to ask for an official pardon for Green.
Wrongly identified
Faulty eyewitness identification in 1983 sent Green to prison for 75 years for the rape of a Houston woman.
Prosecutors working on the case found the victim's jeans to be tested.
He was freed July 30 after DNA evidence cleared him from any involvement in the case.
Michael Anthony Green holds a photo earlier this year of his mother, Mary Ann Strait, who died while he was in prison.