Florida Man Gets Released From Prison After 32 Years as Judge Rules "Mistaken Identity"

A Florida man who was wrongly jailed for at least 32 years has finally seen the light outside of prison after being granted his freedom on Wednesday.

The Florida man was identified as Thomas Raynard James, according to a CNN news report.

He was given his freedom after Florida Judge Miguel M de la O vacated his conviction and sentence for being wrongly accused of the murder of Francis McKinnon.

"We have determined that Thomas Raynard James is innocent," Assistant State Attorney Christine Zahralban told the court on Wednesday.

While he was serving his sentence, James filed more than 10 post-conviction motions and appeals. However, those were denied each time.

The Florida Man's case was then picked up by State Attorney's Office Justice Project after it had been denied twice by Florida's Innocence Project due to lack of DNA evidence, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle noted.

In a sworn statement to the SAO Justice Project in January 2022, James claimed that he never shot anyone and has never been in the apartment complex where McKinnon was killed. He also agreed to a polygraph examination where he passed questions asking if he was physically at the scene where McKinnon was shot, whether he shot McKinnon, or if he was involved in a robbery or murder in any way.

On Wednesday, Rundle noted that James' release was a joy for his family but still a day of sadness for the McKinnon's because "they still lost a loved one."

James, now 55 years old, was arrested in 1990. He was convicted for the first-degree murder of Francis McKinnon in 1991.

CNN noted that the Florida man was sentenced to life imprisonment that has a minimum of 25 years of jail time. He was also additionally sentenced with armed robbery and aggravated assault with a firearm, as well as armed burglary of an occupied dwelling with a firearm.

Thomas Raynard James Opens Up About Release

On Thursday, James opened up about his release after serving 32 years in prison.

Speaking to NBC 6, James pointed out that he feels wonderful and beautiful, adding that what he currently experience is one of the "greatest feelings in the world right now."

The Florida man also shared what authorities should do to prevent someone from experiencing what he underwent in the hands of the law.

"A lot of this could have easily been prevented if the police simply came and questioned me, interrogated me... I was arrested in a courtroom, I was re-fingerprinted, charged with this crime, and to this day I have yet to speak to police or a homicide detective, to this day," James underscored.

According to the 90-page filing from the attorney's office, name confusion led to the Florida man's conviction.

The filing emphasized that James had the same name as a suspect named by a witness or a tipster as "Thomas James" or "Tommy James," which led to the defendant's photograph being included in the lineup.

James claimed that he shared a name with a suspect that was arrested the day before the killing, which is why the authorities made him a focus of the case.

NBC 6 noted that one possible suspect for McKinnon's death died in 2020, but officials are still looking into the said homicide.

Family of Victim om Thomas Raynard James Freedom

The family of Charles McKinnon has mixed feelings about James' freedom.

According to CBS 4, McKinnon's son, Charles, said that he does not want an innocent man behind bars, but he does not want his father's case to be forgotten.

"It may be convincing enough evidence for the state attorney to make this recommendation but to us, it's not complete," Charles said.

Dorothy Walton, the victim's stepdaughter who identified James, said in 1991 that she will not forget the Florida man's face and eyes. However, in 2019, Walton told investigators that she believed she made a mistake in her identification of James, per CNN.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Exonerated: Thomas Raynard James - From CBS Miami