A black Philadelphia man was released from prison Thursday after serving more than 30 years behind bars for a 1984 murder he didn't commit.
Curtis Crosland returned home to five children, his fiancée and 32 grandchildren after witnesses used to convict him recanted their statements.
'It's a great feeling to still be dad, to be wanted and desired, and open arms to receive you, that's been the greatest part of being exonerated, that I come home to a loving family that wants and needs me,' Crosland told CNN.
Crosland was convicted in 1991 for the 1984 robbery and murder of South Philadelphia storeowner Il Man Heo and sentenced to life in prison.
The conviction was based on the testimonies of two informants - Rodney Everett and Delores Tilghman - who lied about Crosland to get leniency in their own cases.
Risheen Crosland, left, and his father Curtis Crosland, right, gather with family after Curtis was released from prison for a crime he did not commit
Delores Crosland, left, her uncle Curtis Crosland, center, and his sister Shirley Crosland, right, hug after Curtis was released from prison for a crime he did not commit
Everett was facing a parole violation when he agreed to provide information in multiple murder cases and pointed the finger at Crosland, according to court documents.
But he failed polygraph test and told his wife it was a different suspect, court documents says.
The other witness who put Crosland in prison was Tilghman, who gave a false statement