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Man Cleared of Murder, Released After 19 Years Behind Bars

By NBC Los Angeles

Credit: NBC Los Angeles via NBC News

A California man who was wrongly convicted of murder was exonerated and set free after serving 19 years behind bars.

September 25, 2012 Updated Sep 25, 2012 at 9:04 AM PDT

A Los Angeles man imprisoned for 19 years for a murder he didn't commit was exonerated and set free from prison on Monday.

Cheers erupted in the courtroom as the judge exonerated John Edward Smith of a drive-by shooting in 1993, NBC's Los Angeles affiliate NBC4 reported.

Late Monday, Smith left Los Angeles Men's Central Jail.

"I'm just thankful the same system that made the error was able to find the same avenue to get me out," Smith said to a throng of reporters who met him outside the jail Monday night.

"I'm not bitter at all. That ain't gonna get me nowhere, you know. I gotta move forward," he said, according to NBC4.

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