After serving 17 years, New York man freed from prison

A man who spent nearly 17 years behind bars for a 1997 homicide has been freed after the sole witness testimony was discredited.

Roger Logan, 53, had been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after his trial, which was based largely on the testimony of a sole eyewitness

Logan maintained his innocence despite his conviction and was exonerated thanks to the work of a Conviction Review Unit, which has helped overturn seven other convictions.

The witness said that she saw Logan playing dice the afternoon when the shooting took place. But it was established 17 years later that she was in jail herself on that day.

"That witness could not have made these observations because she was incarcerated," said assistant district attorney Mark Hale.

Logan got his first taste of freedom after the hearing at the Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday.

"It's been a long wait," he said. "I just want to taste the freedom."

Sources: New York Times, New York Daily News, AFP