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Man set free after 22 years

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ATLANTA (AP) ? After proclaiming his innocence from prison for nearly 22 years, a man who has been cleared of a rape conviction by DNA evidence took his final steps toward becoming a free man on Tuesday.

Willie O. ?Pete? Williams has spent nearly half his life in a Georgia prison. He was convicted of aggravated sodomy, kidnapping and rape when the victim identified him as the perpetrator in the April 1985 incident.

Williams was sentenced to 45 years. He would not have been eligible for parole until November 2021 at the earliest. Had he served his entire sentence, he would not have been released until May 13, 2030, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections Web site.

Williams wrote to the Georgia Innocence Project in July 2005, after the agency’s executive director sent a letter to all Georgia inmates convicted of rape. The Georgia Innocence Project examines cases where DNA evidence is available to test and there is a compelling claim of innocence.

The agency took up Williams’ case last year. Atlanta defense attorney Bruce Harvey volunteered to work on the case for free.

“I just think it’s absolutely phenomenal for Pete,” Harvey said.

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