Florida resident James Bain was exonerated and released from prison Thursday, after spending 35 years behind bars for a wrongful conviction.
Bain had spent more time in prison than any of the 246 inmates previously exonerated by DNA evidence nationwide, yet despite the serious injustice of this situation, Bain said, “No, I am not angry.” His religious faith helped him remain positive while he was incarcerated, and it is the source of his current positive outlook.
The Florida Innocence Project helped Bain win freedom. Mr. Bains submitted handwritten motions four times seeking DNA testing, but he was denied each time. He was denied the fifth time, too, but an appeals court overturned that denial. The Innocence Project of Florida (IPF) stepped in to help, finally winning the DNA test that ultimately proved his innocence.
He was only 19 years old when he went into prison and today he walks out a 54-year-old man. He is looking forward to seeing his mother in Tampa, and spending the holidays as a free man with his family.
(READ more in AP story – w/ photo at HP)
President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo in which he pledged a new U.S. relationship with Muslim countries, has been named the top religion story for 2009 by journalists who cover religion in the United States. 
