Innocent man released from prison

HAMPTON, Va., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A Hampton, Va., man who spent six years in prison for robbery was set free Monday after new evidence revealed he was innocent.

Teddy Pierries Thompson, 24, also spent a year in jail while awaiting trial on robbery charges that he did not actually commit, the Newport News Daily Press reported.

Thompson has been at the Southampton Correctional Center since being convicted in early 2001 and was set to serve 11 more years before the man who fingered him as the one who robbed his home retracted his statement in July.

Hampton Commonwealth's Attorney's requested that Thompson’s sentence and conviction be thrown out, and Hampton Circuit Court Judge Louis Lerner did just that Monday morning.

"I am so grateful that my son is free," said Mary Thompson, the innocent man’s mother. "He's coming home. Thank you, Lord."