A US man has been released from prison after serving nearly three decades behind bars for a crime he did not commit.
In 1998, Bryan Hooper Sr. was found guilty of murdering elderly woman Ann Prazniak and handed life behind bars with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Over 27 years into his sentence and Hooper - who has always maintained his innocence - was finally exonerated and released from prison after Prazniak's real killer came forward and confessed to her crime in a letter.
The handwritten note, which came to light back in July, saw Chalaka Young admit she had killed 77-year-old Prazniak and given false testimony against Hooper.
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"I am not okay any longer with an innocent man sitting in prison for a crime he did not commit," Young penned in the confession letter, which had been written 10 years ago while she was in prison for battery.
On 15 April 1998, police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, discovered Prazniak concealed in a box inside her bedroom at her apartment complex (via Great North Innocence Project). An autopsy would later suggest Prazniak had died around two weeks to a month before her body was found.
During the time between Prazniak's death and the discovery of her body, neighbours in the apartment complex said they'd seen multiple people entering the apartment for drug use, which is said to include both Young and Hooper.
In her 1998 testimony, Young claimed that Hooper had forced her to stand as a lookout while he killed Prazniak. However, the handwritten note now confirms this was a lie.
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It's also understood that Young had been influenced by her newfound Christian faith to come forward and confess that she was the killer, writing in the note: "God has opened up my eyes and here is the truth."
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has since called Hooper's conviction 'was senseless' saying 'he has been in prison for 27 years for something he didn’t do'.
"We can never return what was taken from Mr Hooper in 1998 and for that, I am sorry," Moriarty continued.
"However, we can do the right thing today, and today we are joining the petition to vacate Mr Hooper’s conviction."
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Hooper's release was also celebrated by his daughter, Briana Hooper, who said in a statement: "My father Bryan Hooper Sr. is an innocent man and he’s always been an innocent man.
"We have an opportunity to use my father’s story to shed light on the other people who are sitting behind bars for crimes that they did not commit."
A GoFundMe fundraiser is now underway to provide support for Hooper as he seeks to rebuild his life.
Brenna Cooper