By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, Mo. – A man who served 17 years in prison for three rape convictions is now free, after DNA tests proved he didn't do it.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Jimmie Edwards apologized to Lonnie Erby during a court session this afternoon and ordered him freed.
Erby, who is 49, was sentenced to 115 years in prison for assaults of three girls in 1985. He had been jailed at the Moberly Correctional Center.
Officials with the Innocence Project had long sought DNA testing to determine if Erby was really guilty. DNA testing was
not yet available when Erby was initially convicted.
Erby says he feels vindicated. He says he always knew this day would come.
Immediately after being freed, he hugged the son he had seen just once since his incarceration.