it turns out, though, andre hatchet didn't kill anyone. 49-year-old andre hatchet walked outside a free man today smiling now after half his life in prison, half his life gone do with. >> i know i didn't do it. day. dismissed and sealed. [ cheering and applause ] >> reporter: one day was this day. hatchet it turns out isn't a killer, after all. he's a victim. >> you sat down and looked at there file and just said oh, my god, right? the police screwed up. the job. convicted for the 1991 murder of 38-year-old nita plea carter in a bed-stuy -- mae carter in a bed-stuy park. a man who admitted smoking crack earlier on the day of the murder is believed to have committed the crime. hatchet was physically incapable of the brutal murder back then because he himself had been shot several times a month earlier. prison took its toll. >> i lost my mother here, my little brother, my parents gone. >> reporter: hatchet has no grand plan for freedom yet, but he has plans. >> i just want to be with my family and go eat. >> reporter: mr. hatchet will be getting barbecue for his first meal and for the way

smiling proudly, andre hatchet took his first steps as a freeman. he told me he never gave up hope. >> i feel good. i'm glad i'm free. i just want to stay with my family and stay out of trouble. >> repormeter: a re was convicted of kil ng a woman back in 1992. the brooklyn d.a. says the only evidence against h >>im was one witness. andre and s defense team were never told the witness also pointed the fin r at another suspect. dre was also on crutches at e time and likely couldn't have beaten, dragged and strangled the victim. decades behind bars ended in a moment. andre was 25 when he went to prison. today he's 49. i asked him if he's angry. >> i ain't angry because i know i didn't do it. >> reporter: and andre kept that smile as he reunited with family, children and grandchildren that will now get to know him much better. andre told us what his first act as a freeman would be. man would be. they marched straight to get some barbecue, where after spending half his life behind bars he enjoyed his first taste of freedom. i just want to be with my fami

andre hatchet's 1991 conviction was thrown out. a star witness lied on the stand and he was unable to help his defense because of intellectual disabilities. but he never gave up and now he is reunited with his family. >>> a minnesota couple in joe's crab shack was upset to find a photo of a hanging embedded in a table top. it is a group of white people watching the execution of one black person. the caption says all i said is i didn't like the gumbo. the naacp wants a public apology from the restaurant's corporate office. >>> a $25,000 reward is being person who killed 13 bald eagles. the eagles were found dead in a farm field in maryland. fish and wildlife officials are now investigating. by the way, killing a bald eagle is a federal offense punishable by $250,000 in fines and two years in prison. >>> heavy rain is expected to continue through the weekend across the water logged southeast. in hammond, louisiana, officials are conducting rescues by boat. four people have been killed in the storms across the region. louisiana's gove

. >>> he spent 25 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, but tonight andre hatchet after spending half his life in a cell is finally a free man, his quick overturned. the 49-year-old -- conviction overturned. the 49-year-old was released today after prosecutors admitted he should not have been convicted for the beating and murder of a woman in brooklyn in 1991. all these years he maintained his innocence. >> i knew i didn't do it. i knew i'd be home one day. i just want to be with my family and go eat. >> happy for him. the only witness in the case initially identified another man as the killer and admitted he was smoking crack the day of the murder. hosting a state dinner for canada's prime minister tonight for the first time in nearly 20 years. president obama and the first lady welcomed the new canadian prime minister, justin trudeau and his wife, to the white house this evening. more than 170 guests attended the glitzy state dinner, among them canadians michael j. fox and ryan reynolds. >>> speaking of the white house, it's hoping to help some families afford a basic necessity

andre hatchet is waking up a freeman. he was released yesterday after prosecutors admitted he should the beating and murder of a woman in brooklyn in 1991. he maintained his innocence. >> i knew i didn't do it. i just want to be with my family and g. >> the only witness initially identified another man as the killer and admitted that he was smoking crack the day of the m. >>> 5:14. a multimillion dollar plan to make one of the city's most dangerous complexes safer is now complete. a new light system has been installed at polio grounds tower in harlem -- polo grounds tower in harlem. they're lit with 341 state of the art energy efficient light fixtures, part of a mayor's action plan for neighborhood safety. it is an initiative to increase security and reduce crime at the 15 complexes with the highest crime rates. >> there is really nothing more that strikes me as an equity as in a community where they feel safe, where they feel secure, and where they know that their children are going to be safe. >> new lighting constructi

>> [ applause ] cheers erupted as 49-year-old andre hatchett embraced his family in a brooklyn court seconds after a judge overturned his conviction. hatchet was serving a life sentence for the murder of a 30- year-old woman in 1991. he says despite losing 2.5 decades of his life, he believed the truth would finally come out and he is not angry. >> i feel good. i feel good. i'm glad i'm free. i've been innocent for 25 years. you know? i always like to tell the truth. got set me free. >> reporter: the organization, the innocence project started investigating the case. and found that hatchet was capable of using enough force to commit the murder. >>> suggested reading could soon be coming to every restaurant in the city in the form of a poster about wide rates. councilwoman ynez barron was introducing a bill citing a need to warn people about the risk of excessive sugar particularly in diabetics. if the bill passes, restaurants would face a $500 fine for failing to display the poster. >>> dangerous distraction on the major highway and it's perfectly legal. the site that has drivers taking their eyes off the road. >>> lirr train doors open, b

andre hatches 1992 murder conviction in the death of a woman. judge said the case was tainted by a witness and prosecutor. hatchetrrounded by relatives who say they never lost faith in him. >>> people talk it on phone public place, a 673-year-old chicago account used a cell phone jammer to keep people from talking on their phones during his transit ride. the device that blocks medical and police calls that's bad. >>> trudeau mania, the president and mrs. obama hosted the country's new leader at the white house last night. it was a guest list, it featured a hefty dose of canadian star power. matt. >>> we're following breaking news, gunfire rang out in trenton overnight leaving four people shot. the details are coming up next. >>> a forest fire continues to burn in south jersey with no sign of letting up, an update when we come back. (avo) after 50 years of designing cars for crash survival, subaru has developed our most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety tested front crash prevention nobody beat subaru models with eyesi