Ricky Jackson Wrongly Convicted Man Released from Prison after 39 Years — Transcript

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1. 0:00Becky Jackson is now a free man that's
2. 0:02right Jackson walked out of a prison
3. 0:03today after 39 years behind bars and our
4. 0:07Melissa Reid was there as he breathed in
5. 0:09that fresh air absolutely incredible
6. 0:13moment bill Ricky heart Jackson could
7. 0:15hardly contain his smile his emotion and
8. 0:17sometimes his tears today as he walked
9. 0:19out of the Justice Center a free man and
10. 0:22as you mentioned he stopped to breathe
11. 0:24in that fresh air and said he's going to
12. 0:25go have lunch somewhere and then go to
13. 0:27hotel where he could be alone something
14. 0:30so simple yet so meaningful for a man
15. 0:32who spent almost four decades in prison
16. 0:34for a crime he didn't commit 57 year old
17. 0:43rickey jackson of cleveland is a free
18. 0:45man feels extraordinary I'm very happy
19. 0:48needless to say and the words can't
20. 0:52express how I feel right now I'm just
21. 0:53glad to be out glad to be a free man
22. 0:55alright friday a judge threw out
23. 0:58jackson's 1975 murder conviction after
24. 1:01witness edward Vernon who was 12 at the
25. 1:04time recanted his testimony this week
26. 1:07alright this case will be dismissed mr.
27. 1:10Jackson you're going to be free to go
28. 1:11life is filled with small victories and
29. 1:14this is a big one it was like an
30. 1:16emotional rollercoaster you know it's
31. 1:18just I mean English language doesn't
32. 1:20depict what I'm feeling right now you
33. 1:22walked into the courtroom today you
34. 1:23smiled at some people you waved at him
35. 1:25who were they family friends and I mean
36. 1:28just people i didn't really know i'm
37. 1:29just glad to see people
38. 1:33I'm just happy to see people you know
39. 1:36for real Jackson thanked the Ohio
40. 1:38Innocence Project who took on his case a
41. 1:40decade ago once they lock on to it it
42. 1:43was like a pit board they don't you know
43. 1:45this guy here I mean he's my hero he
44. 1:48saved my life literally Jackson along
45. 1:50with two brothers were sent to death row
46. 1:52at ages 17 18 and 20 offer a crime they
47. 1:57didn't commit a lot of people will want
48. 1:59me to hate that person and he'll carry
49. 2:03animosity towards him but I don't you
50. 2:06know people had to remember that they
51. 2:08see him as a grown man today but 7 75
52. 2:11years for 12 year old kid and thirty
53. 2:13nine long years later Jackson stepped
54. 2:16outside the Justice Center for the first
55. 2:18time in decades stop to breathe in the
56. 2:21fresh air and then walked away a free
57. 2:24man did I think this day would ever come
58. 2:26yes I did I did because if you don't I
59. 2:29mean you just something inside you is
60. 2:33going to give if you don't feel like
61. 2:34that you have to I mean I'm just like I
62. 2:37said I'm so elated to be here happy to
63. 2:38be alive you know I got a lot of people
64. 2:41to think and I'm really grateful rickey
65. 2:45jackson has been in prison since he was
66. 2:4718 years old he has served more time
67. 2:49behind bars than anyone who has ever
68. 2:52been released from prison on a wrongful
69. 2:54conviction according to the Ohio
70. 2:56innocence projects and it doesn't seem
71. 2:58like he has one bitter bone in his body
72. 3:00for 39 years he had a place to go to
73. 3:03every day yeah and what's next for him
74. 3:05where does he go yeah he said he was
75. 3:07going to have lunch with his attorneys
76. 3:09there and then from there he wanted to
77. 3:11be in a room by himself he said this is
78. 3:13a lot for him to take in you know he's
79. 3:15only had since Tuesday to even sure
80. 3:16really compress the idea that he's going
81. 3:18to be out in general population out but
82. 3:20he said for so long he has had a place
83. 3:23to go and now the future is a little bit
84. 3:26of her in prison and learn to work
85. 3:28within that structure that life right
86. 3:31now he's out and it adjust to a brand
87. 3:34new life to take a long does he have any
88. 3:36family or yeah we asked him about that
89. 3:38he said it's a precarious situation you
90. 3:40know I mean he's been incarcerated for
91. 3:4139 years I'm sure a lot of family
92. 3:43dynamics have changed for
93. 3:45sure but he said he's taking this time
94. 3:47right now to be him alone have that
95. 3:50lunch have that dinner be alone and then
96. 3:52he's going to go from back just an
97. 3:53extraordinary story absolutely