A man who wrongfully spent 24 years in prison for murder has been pardoned.
Dontae Sharpe, from North Carolina, was 19 years old when he was sentenced to life in 1995 for the murder of 33-year-old George Radcliffe during a drug deal a year earlier.
Following his pardon, he is now able to apply for compensation of up to $750,000.
Speaking about the case, governor Roy Cooper said it was time that people like Mr Sharpe got the justice they deserved.
He said: “I have carefully reviewed Dontae Sharpe’s case and am granting him a Pardon of Innocence
“Mr Sharpe and others who have been wrongly convicted deserve to have that injustice fully and publicly acknowledged.”
Mr Sharpe has always maintained his innocence and refused any offers of a lighter sentence in exchange for a guilty plea.
Following his pardon, he said: “I’m still in a haze, kind of. When you’re dealing with us human beings, it can go anyway, yes and no.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I was believing for a pardon.”
Adding: “My family’s name has been cleared. It’s a burden off of my shoulders and my family’s shoulders.”
And he has pledged to continue his fight for other people who have been wrongly convicted.
He said: “My freedom is still incomplete as long as there’s still people going to prison wrongfully, if there’s still people in prison wrongfully and there’s still people that are waiting on pardons.
“I’ve been in there and know there are guys that are innocent and know that our system is corrupt and needs to be changed.”
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