they announced over the intercom, "dontae sharpe is the proud father of a baby girl." i am 27 years old. dontae is my dad. when i was younger, they told me he was injail for something that he didn't do. he had got life. we didn't have a bond, you know, with him being injail. i wasn't given a chance with him and i don't really know why. iwas, like, "god, i'm facing a murder charge for something i didn't do. i'm not going to be there." i told my momma i wanted to better myself. i said, "i'm—a do everything in here that i wouldn't do or didn't think was important in the world." i went all—out in everything i did. my mum probably missed four visits in 26 years. dontae needed me then. you know, ifeel like he really...he needed me. i didn't want to miss visits. it was already bad enough being in prison for something you didn't do, and i feel like, what kind of mother would i be if i didn't go see my son? he would wave and that wave used to destroy me. you know, they don't realise how much damage they do... ..toa family. i never dreamed it would be 26 years. i thought i had g

all: free dontae sharpe! this morning, i come out for my son, montoya dontae sharpe.ence. | secondly, there were l false witness accounts. there were likely alternative - suspects ignored and not pursued, so while dontae was locked up, the real killer was still- walking around greenville. it was a travesty of justice and it took 26 years to make it partially right. the day that dontae got released was in greenville. it was, you know, in his hometown. his whole family was there. theresa newman and spencer parris, who put on that case, did a phenomenaljob presenting the evidence. do you solemnly swear the testimony given to the court in this session shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god? charlenejohnson, she testified again in front ofjudge collins, and she said, "i've been trying to make this right." you could hear, in the courtroom, a pin drop. people knew that this was an incredibly important moment. there was no way for the crime to have physically happened the way that the state said it was, that it was a physical impossibil

they announced over the intercom, "dontae sharpe is the proud father of a baby girl." am 27 years old. dontae is my dad. when i was younger, they told me he was injail for something that he didn't do. he had got life. we didn't have a bond, you know, with him being injail. i wasn't given a chance with him and i don't really know why. iwas, like, "god, i'm facing a murder charge for something i didn't do. i'm not going to be there." i told my momma i wanted to better myself. i said, "i'm—a do everything in here that i wouldn't do or didn't think was important in the world." i went all—out in everything i did. my mum probably missed four visits in 26 years. dontae needed me then. you know, ifeel like he really...he needed me. i didn't want to miss visits. it was already bad enough being in prison for something you didn't do, and i feel like, what kind of mother would i be if i didn't go see my son? he would wave and that wave used to destroy me. you know, they don't realise how much damage they do... ..toa family. i never dreamed it would be 26 years. i thought i had got

twenty—six years after being wrongly convicted of murder, dontae sharpe walked free from prison in northto rebuilding his life — and holding the criminaljustice system to account. idida i did a life sentence for a crime _ i did a life sentence for a crime i— i did a life sentence for a crime i didn't commit. i was accused _ crime i didn't commit. i was accused of— crime i didn't commit. i was accused of killing a white man and a — accused of killing a white man and a drug deal gone bad. i did 26 years— and a drug deal gone bad. i did 26 years and i was exonerated in 2019 — cheering you finally get vindicated. you've _ you finally get vindicated. you've been it and saying it. it you've been it and saying it. it was — you've been it and saying it. it was real, but it didn't seem reat~ — it was real, but it didn't seem real. ., ,., ., it was real, but it didn't seem real. ., ., , real. you, 0 god, have spoken this day! _ people think that when you get exonerated, the fight is over, 'ust exonerated, the fight is over, just beginning. it'sjust beginning. when i first got out, _ beginning. whe

now to the us where, twenty—six years after being wrongly convicted of murder, dontae sharpe walked freecence was only the first step on a long road to rebuilding his life — and holding the criminaljustice system to account. i did a life sentence for a crime i didn't commit. i was accused of killing a white man and a drug deal gone bad. i did 26 years and i was exonerated in 2019. cheering you finally get vindicated. you've been it and saying it. it was real, but it didn't seem real. you, 0 god, have spoken this day! i people think that when you get exonerated, the fight is over, just beginning. it'sjust beginning. when i first got out, i couldn't get a job. the felony was stopping me from getting a job. it was in control of my life. for some reason, hasn't pardon me. he hasn't pardoned me. it would make everything a lot easier. ray cooper became the governor of north carolina after a serving for more than 30 years as attorney general when some form or fashion and now as governor, he has the ability to decide the future of dontae's life. there's some actual other states that have automat