Two California men who served nearly 17 years in Prison for a crime they did not commit have finally been declared innocent by a California judge. The court ordered the state to pay the men $140 each for each day they spent behind bars, which rounds up to a total of $900,000.
The two were freed in 2020 when the actual shooter, Chad Brandon McZeal, a gang member serving a life sentence for murder in an unrelated case came forward with a dramatic confession before the court in a new trial.
Glass and Rayford were 17 and 18 respectively when they were arrested for the alleged murder in Lancaster, Los Angeles. They were sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences after being convicted of 11 counts of attempted murder.
Juan Rayford reacted to the verdict outside the court in presence of family members and media, calling it an “amazing” feeling to have their names finally cleared.
“I thought about this day for so long. I thought about it when I was locked up for 17 years. I thought about it for my last two years being free. I waited for this day because, you know, I knew I was innocent of every crime they said I committed,” he said.
“That trial never should have been brought in the first place,” defense attorney Annee Della Donna told The Associated Press. “There was no evidence tying them to the shooting. Zero.We proved their innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
Glass and Rayford now work as drivers for Walmart. Both men are now proud fathers to baby girls.
“I’m not big for words. But today is a wonderful day. For 20 years we’ve been living this nightmare. It’s finally over. We can go on with our lives,” Glass said Thursday outside the courthouse.
