this is "nightline." tonight -- ♪ free tyra ♪ free, free, free tyra >> sentenced to over 40 years in prison for a murder she says she had nothing to do with. the victim's sister coming to her defense. >> i was not going to let her sit in that prison. >> and the campaign to set her free. >> i am tyra patterson. >> how she transformed herself in prison. using her story to change lives. plus, primary voters in west virginia off to the races. with a democratic candidate who voted trump. >> i'd rather fight than eat. >> and a republican who says he's trumpier than trump. >> trump captain mitch mcconnell has created millions of jobs for china people. >> so why is the president arguing against him? but first the "nightline" 5.

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our 3 contestants are all at the big ikea table. contestant #1, impressive knife skills. but contestant #2 fights back by using fresh parsley. make room for the judge! what's your dream? at ikea, we help you live it. make the dream yours. good evening. we begin with the story of tyra patterson. sentenced to decades in prison after she says she was coerced into a false confession. she used her time behind bars to start a career and become an inspiration to others.

tonight she is free and she says it's thanks in part to a group of high school students in cincinnati. here's abc's deborah roberts. ♪ free ♪ free, free, free tyra >> reporter: this is a moment tyra patterson has dreamed of. finally embracing these teens who she says helped save her life in a campaign for her freedom. tyra wasn't much older than them when she was imprisoned for murder. >> you remember me, huh? >> yes. >> reporter: even though she didn't pull the trigger, didn't even have a gun. her confession coerced, she says, raising questions about the issue of mass incarceration. leading to a campaign to set her free. celebrities even joining the cause. >> and i am tyra patterson. >> reporter: then a stunning turn. the victim's sister coming to tyra's defense. >> do you think tyra patterson is in any way responsible for your sister's death? >> no, i don't. not one bit. >> reporter: for tyra the

nightmare began 23 years ago, when she and her friend becky are hanging out smoking pot in 19-year-old tyra's apartment in dayton, ohio. they head out to look for a set of missing car keys and meet one a few acquaintances and wind up in an alleyway. sitting in a car, 18-year-old holly lai, her 15-year-old sister michelle, and three other friends. >> i had a really bad feeling, a knot in my stomach that told me something was going to happen. >> reporter: they were approached by a rowdy group. among them tyra and 22-year-old la ha la shoouna keeney who has a gun. >> holly lai called out for me, she said please make them stop, please tell them we don't have anything. >> what did you say to them? >> i walked up to lashawna keeney and was like why don't you chill out. and that's when she brandished the gun. >> reporter: tyra heads back home but back at the car the situation is escalating. >> there was a girl at my sister's door trying guite necklace off my sister and couldn't do it. that's when she took the gun across me. and i turned and she shot her right in front of me. >> we heard a gunshot.

we actually thought they were shooting at us. >> reporter: holly's sister michelle shot dead right in front of her eyes. >> i remember falling to the ground going why? please somebody help us. and i start running door to door to door just pounding on doors, someone call 911. we got doors shut in our face. no one would listen. >> reporter: what she doesn't know at the time is that tyra did call 911. >> please hurry up and come i think they got robbed. it was some girls in a car. >> it was? girls in a car? >> yes. >> your name please? >> i was very scared. she said what is your name? i lied and said my name is tiara. >> why did you do that? >> i knew someone had got hurt and i didn't want to be part ever it. >> reporter: the next day tyra is brought in for questioning. >> in the investigations office sitting with tyra -- >> tyra lashaun patterson. >> tell if you would the events that took place this morning.

>> reporter: she tells the detective that she stole a necklace off the victim. >> i seen a girl in the back and she had a necklace on. i took the necklace. >> reporter: tyra says under pressure of the investigation she falsely confessed. >> what are you thinking at that moment? because you look like a deer in the headlights. >> i though the was about to save my life. and when we were done i said am i about to go home? he said no, you're going to be books for murder. >> she's among five people arrested. four would be charged with aggravated robbery anding avaitded murder. when someone's killed during the commission of certain crimes, in this case robbery, those committing the crime can be held responsible. >> so you're being charged with murder and robbery and sent to jail. what were those hours like, tyra? >> they were long. scary. >> reporter: when tyra goes on trial the next year, she says her lawyers advise her against testifying. but that confession tape is played. >> 18:42 hours. >> reporter: montgomery county

prosecutor leon dedonne says the tape was key in proving tyra's guilt. >> it's a powerful piece of evidence that shows not only is she guilty in this but also it's not a coerced statement. the tone is calm. they're sitting next to each other. they're talking. >> he makes it clear that tyra patterson is no victim in this case. >> the victims in those case were those five girls in the car with the other gang of five people including tyra patson attacked them. >> reporter: at 20 years old tyra found guilty, sentenced to 43 years to life in prison. as for keeney the trigger woman she would take a plea deal. 30 years to life. >> i look at the jury and i said i didn't do anything. >> from themost moment she went behind bars tyra vowed to fight her conviction. a middle school dropout, she uses the confinement to improve herself, learning to read, earning her g.e.d., even becoming a pair alegal. >> the only way i could fight

was toejt myself. >> reporter: and remarkably she becomes a mentor, reaching out to tell her story to high school students. >> stay in school. >> reporter: and then after 17 years in prison she meets david singleton of the ohio justice and policy center. >> we got transcripts. >> reporter: tyra tells david she made a false confession. that necklace she was convicted of stealing, she picked it up off the ground. >> i couldn't believe the level of representation she got was sko bad. >> reporter: in an affidavit tyra's public defender said he was disappointed when she was convicted and that "at the time we did not have the means, resources or expertise to help the jury understand that tyra's confession was false." >> what was the biggest omission as far as you're concerned? >> the 911 call should have been put before the jury, period. >> reporter: incredibly, that 911 call placed by tyra was never played in court. patterson's trial lawyers say they didn't introduce the call because they felt it was incriminating that she gave a false name.

but it's evidence some jurors say that would have swayed their votes. >> looking back now, i know she is not guilty. i'm just so sorry that it happened to her. >> no, not guilty. not guilty. it bothers me some now. it sure does. to take that away from an individual, that much of their life, over half of her life. >> reporter: david creates a social media movement. with politicians and celebrities joining the effort to free a woman they feel was wrongfully convicted. >> and i am tyra patterson. >> reporter: then holly lai, who saw her sister shot right beside her, hears of those revelations and writes a letter to governor kasich. >> i feel bad that tyra has been in prison for so long for crimes i now believe she did not commit. >> reporter: but it came at a price. >> i no longer speak with any family member on my dad's side or my mother's side. they all disowned me. no matter what they said, i was not going to let her sit in that prison. >> reporter: holly's sacrifice

likely the game changer. >> my baby! >> reporter: after 23 years tyra patterson was finally granted parole. >> i felt vindicated. >> reporter: now at 42 years old she's starting over, trying to regain those lost years with family. >> did you think this moment was going to happen? >> i would lie to her and say i have faith, but it was diminishing. >> reporter: she's now working as a paralegal for the same organization that helped get her out of prison and has her own apartment in cincinnati. >> is it jarring being in a cell for so long and now you've got in kind of space? >> being in a 10 by 12 i think it is cell for 23 years. >> with a roommate. >> the best advice i can give you all is to stay in school. >> reporter: tyra continues to use her story as a cautionary tale for others.

>> surround yourself with people who will challenge you. >> reporter: sharing her story at schools and colleges across the nation. >> no drugs or alcohol. i'm living proof it does not work. my main message is to tell them to stay in school, graduate and reach your goals. >> reporter: she's even stayed in touch with that group of high school students who she says gave her hope during the dark days of prison. >> now y'all got me crying. >> when you started to skype with her, when you actually saw her, this is a woman who's in prison. was that weird? >> it wasn't weird. but it was just amazing to see how she could contain and still have happiness in her life. >> reporter: what have you wanted to say to her? >> i just want to say thank you to everything. >> reporter: you want to say thank you to her. even though you helped her. >> yes. i think she helped us more. >> reporter: she's been out of prison now a couple of months. >> yes. >> reporter: so we thought it's probably about time that you meet tyra. okay? >> oh, my god. i'm so happy right now.

>> hi, girls. >> ore, my goodness. >> so you call these folks your kids, huh? >> yeah. they're my babies. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. do you all remember everything we talked about? >> yes. stay in school. >> and don't do what? >> drugs. >> that's right. >> i believe in my heart that if it wasn't for holly lai and my babies that our voices would have been a little down. so thank you. >> reporter: soon more students anxious to meet the woman they worked so diligently to help free. >> hi. >> reporter: emotions spilling out on both sides. >> you remember me, huh?

>> yes. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: then a special chant. ♪ free, free tyra ♪ free, free, free tyra ♪ free, free tyra ♪ free, free, free tyra what's next? >> a pardon. god willing, a pardon. it's not an option for me. it has never been an option for me. ever since i became conscious. >> reporter: woke. >> i'm woke. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm deborah roberts in cincinnati. up next, the senate candidate who says he's trumpier than trump. so why isn't the president on his side? ( ♪ ) it's the details that make the difference. only botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crow's feet and forehead lines look better. it's a quick 10 minute treatment

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tomorrow's primary in west virginia is shaping up to be unlike any before. with a democrat emerging as among the most popular candidates in a state that went heavily for president trump. and a republican candidate who has the president arguing against him. here's abc's mary bruce in our series "18 for '18." >> i'd rather fight than eat. >> reporter: at first glance former paratrooper richard ogetta seems more g.i. joe than polished politician. but watch him work the room at jim's steak and spaghetti in huntington, west virginia. >> i'm a teacher. i just wanted to get my picture with you. >> let's do it. >> reporter: this is how voters are responding to a democrat running for the house. in an area where more than 70% voted for trump.

tomorrow say test of their support. as voters here and in severalread red states go to the polls in the first big day of primary voting. >> you don't have to have a lot of money. >> reporter: democrats say their best bet to reclaim trump supporters is with candidates like ogetta. >> it's called getting back to the basics of being what a real democrat is. taking care of the working-class citizens. >> reporter: he too voted for trump but says the president hasn't kept his word. >> what have you seen? >> it's been a circus. put your cell phone away. be president. kick your kids out of the oval office. surround yourself with real intelligence. >> reporter: now he's out to sway his fellow trump supporters. >> we're a big fan. >> well, outstanding. >> reporter: go blue. >> you heard that. big fans. >> reporter: and it may just be working. >> he's not there in a suit, in a tie. he's there in a t-shirt and some khakis. you know, that's -- that's more relatable. >> you feel like he's one of you. >> absolutely. >> i've got a lot of republican voters that are voting for me. the republican leadership in the

state of west virginia hates the ground that i walk on because i call them out. >> reporter: but just a few hours away a controversial republican is taking a page straight oust trump's playbook. >> we're now in one of the smallest counties in all of west virginia on our way to meet one of the biggest names in this state. don blankenship. he's the former head of massey energy. and he's now running in one of the most competitive senate races in the entire country using it to launch a comeback. >> reporter: but he's also sparking outrage. >> hi. blankenship. >> reporter: in his latest ad he made this racial remark about the family of mitch mcconnell's wife, transportation secretary elaine chao. >> swamp captain mitch mcconnell has created millions of jobs for china people. in fact, his china family has given him tens of millions of dollars. >> reporter: this only adding to blankenship's already sullid reputation. >> i'm neither despicable, you know, mentally ill or a moron or a bigot. >> reporter: he just served a year in prison, found guilty of conspiracy to

mandatory mine health and safety standards after a 2010 explosion at one of his company's mines killed 29 people. but he says he did nothing wrong and blames the government. many voters we spoke with side with blankenship. >> hey, he stood up to those who were wanting to make a show trial for him. >> what do you want people to know about you? >> i want them to know that i'm probably the most honest person thafr ran for office, that i was put in prison on a fake prosecution that will be invalidated in the near future, that i did more for mine safety than anyone in the history of the mining industry. >> reporter: blankenship has been quick to defend the president. >> i think he's doing what he knows to do. >> reporter: but the president doesn't feel the same about him. he's now urging voters not to support blankenship. today comparing him to failed alabama senate candidate roy moore. tweeting "don blankenship currently running for senate can't win the general election in your state. no way.

remember alabama." republicans in washington are on edge, concerned that blankenship could win tomorrow but not in november. and with a narrow one-seat majority in the senate that's a risk republicans don't want to take. voters here told us they're not waiting for any one politician or industry to save them. >> so we're now in beckly, would've before this is the heart of coal country. it's a part of the state that's lost a lot of jobs in recent years. now it's kind of split. they're trying to salvage some coal jobs, bring back new ones-w but also try to find ways to innovate, to bring in new jobs. >> that was used to scoop the coal. >> reporter: byrd white, the county commissioner, tells us west virginians themselves are the state's best resource. >> very talented people. they just need a chance. they just need a job. >> reporter: that entrepreneurial spirit alive in this school, where former miners are trading coal for html coding. >> as the world around us expands, we need to expand.

bring in this technology. >> reporter: a seventh generation miner billy jack buzzard now spends his days above ground, building websites for companies around the country for about the same pay. he says he doesn't miss the old family business. >> what has it meant for you to awful a sudden learn these new skills? >> it's amazing to learn that i don't have to rely on coal. i keep asking myself, i'm really getting paid to do this? >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm mary bruce in west virginia. up next, the stars and styles who got all the attention at tonight's met gala. the oscars of fashion.

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with roomba from irobot, your family can expect clean floors everyday. two unique multi-surface brushes and power-lifting suction pick up dirt, large debris and even pet hair. so your floors are always clean. you and roomba from irobot. better together. our 3 contestants are all at the big ikea table. who's going to be tonight's winning chef?

contestant #1, impressive knife skills. by using fresh parsley. and, contestant #3 adds a touch of sweetness. sweetie, come eat outside. but it's to hot out there! perfect! make room for the judge! what's your dream? at ikea, we help you live it. make the dream yours.

and finally tonight, move over, monet. it's rihanna's time to shine. the stars were dressed to impress tonight at the metropolitan museum of art in new york city. the theme of the annual met ball was heavenly bodies. and we'll have a full look on "gma" tomorrow at the night's most talked about fashion.

thanks for watching "nightline." and as always, we're online at our "nightline" facebook page. good night, america.

only one candidate for governor when students were stuck in failing schools, led the fight to turn them around. as mayor of l.a., antonio villaraigosa invested in classrooms and security. graduation rates soared. antonio for governor.