Clarence Moses-EL, a man who spent nearly three decades behind bars after being found guilty of a brutal rape, was cleared by a Denver jury in a retrial on Monday.
Moses-EL was convicted in 1988 in the rape and assault of a woman when she returned home from a night of drinking. He was sentenced to 48 years in prison.
His efforts to appeal were unsuccessful, in part because Denver police destroyed DNA evidence from the attack despite a judge's order to preserve it.
In December 2015, a judge granted Moses-EL a new trial and released him from prison after another man testified that he had assaulted the woman.
That man, LC Jackson, later recanted his confession. Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey decided to continue prosecuting the case, saying it was his duty to the victim.
The jury Monday put the case to rest.
In an interview with Colorado Matters earlier this year, Moses-EL said he worked hard in his years in prison to avoid feelings of rage.
"In prison, people that become frustrated -- they act it out and it topples that individual. And me, by standing in the shadows and observing this about human behavior, I said, 'I wasn't going there. Not me.' "
This story will be updated.
