live at 26 and california more on the release. >> jacques rivera and a couple of things on his to do list wants to eat a good meal would like to make a visit to the nearest church claiming it ought to be grateful for tonight freedom after 21 long years in prison. judge ordered him released after the only witness and his case recanted statement. words cannot describe a moment between a mother and her son separated for 21 years now together again at 46 year old jacques rivera released after a judge ordered him freed this afternoon today three adult children sister and a boy and there to greet him. jacques rivera convicted 1988 murder he did not commit the case hinges on eyewitness testimony of 12 year-old boy took 10 years but the witness was tracked down by the people with center of wrongful conviction persistence eventually paid off >> started crying said all about redemption need to unburden been waiting for somebody to find me but i told a lie at trial and the need to do the right thing. >> innocence was present at the very beginning >> jacques rivera lawyer says false witness iden

. >>21 years ago jacques rivera was sent to jail for murder that he did not commit. if today's he is spending his first full day of freedom with loved ones. rivera was released from the cook county jail last night. his long awaited freedom came after the eyewitness who helped convict rivera of murder in 1990 and recanted his story and prosecutors dropped the case. orlando lopez who was 12 at the time of the murder ... said that he realized before the trial that rivera was not the shooter police would not listen to him. rivera said he forgave lopez long ago and the important thing to him now his family. >>my family stood by me through these troubled times these hard times and my family stood by me and supported me not just financially but emotionally and i thank my family >>rivera has three adult children he says the thing he missed the most was watching them grow up as for immediate plans rivera said he would like to go to a bears game. >>a former high-school football player who's accused of rape could testify in his own defense today. demarco whitley is accused of s