Antonio McDowell, 49, has left prison since Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker awarded him leniency in 2020.

28 years later, he is totally free - after the judge made a decision Monday morning.

McDowell's lawyer says he was sentenced to 103 years in prison for murder of now retired Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara.

The term McDowell was used to explain his feelings after his decision.

"I'm very overwhelmed right now," he said.

McDowell was surrounded by family, friends and attorneys outside the Cook County Courthouse and after 28 years and false beliefs, he said he was finally free to leave.

"I don't think this moment will come, but I've been hopeful," McDowell said.

McDowell has been represented and supported by lawyers and civil rights law firms Loevy and Loevy for many years. Now, McDowell is the 51st person to be exempted from the case investigated by Guevara.

Although Guevara has never been charged, CBS News Chicago Investigator For many years, Guevara force Wrong confession Back in the 1980s.

"I just want you to know if you meet Guevara, stand up," McDowell said. "Justice will prevail."

In this case, McDowell entered the Great Central Region headquarters of 5555 Avenue, CPD in July 1997 after being shot dead in July 1997. He never left.

There, McDowell and his attorney said Guevara tried to make him mistakenly identify the suspect who was selected in the shooting. When McDowell refused to misidentify others, they said he went from the victim of the shooting to the perpetrator who was constituted in an unrelated murder. Convicted, he served for 23 years before being allowed to be lenient.

"That's Antonio McDowell's crime! Trying to do the right thing," said attorney Anand Swaminathan. "I'm sick."

When he was relieved, his murder was abandoned and prosecutors maintained a carjacking conviction related to the murder, which was still on his record, meaning he could be withdrawn.

Last month, the judge issued a decision to remove the carjacking conviction, emphasizing McDowell’s narrative about the victim-to-trial and undeniable patterns of misconduct by Guevara. Prosecutors dropped the charges on Monday.

"There is always a way out. Don't lose hope. Stay connected with your people, the support team," McDowell said.