Two men, who spent three decades behind bars for the rape and murder of a young girl, have been cleared thanks to DNA evidence.
WITN reported that half-brothers Leon Brown, 46, and Henry McCollum, 50, of North Carolina, were ordered on Tuesday to be released after their convictions were overturned.
The men have been serving time for the 1983 rape and murder of 11-year-old Sabrina Buie.
While the case against the two has never been solid, the men were convicted after confessing to the crime. Both Brown and McCollum are mentally challenged.
Their attorneys previously said that the half-brothers were teenagers at the time of the murder and investigators coerced two individuals with low IQs into confessing to the crimes against the slain girl.
The AFP noted that following those confessions, McCollum was sentenced to death and Brown was sentenced to life in prison.
DNA evidence found at the initial crime scene did not match Brown or McCollum and another man already behind bars may be linked to the murder.
The families of the men were elated after the ruling.
"We waited years and years," said McCollum’s father, James. "We have kept the faith, waited on God making a move. He made a move, and they're released."