Alprentiss Nash, convicted of murder in 1995 and was given an 80 year jail sentence, is now a free man.

Nash is expected to walk out of the Menard Correctional Center in downstate Menard at 11 a.m. Friday--a day after prosecutors with Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s office went to court and asked a judge to vacate murder charges against him.

Convicted in January 1997 of the 1995 armed robbery and murder of Leon Stroud in his West Pullman home, Nash becomes the first person ever to have his murder conviction overturned solely by that office after a re-investigation by its new Conviction Integrity Unit, which Alvarez created in February.

Based upon the new DNA evidence and the collective results of our investigation, it is my assessment that we do not have the evidence that is required to sustain this murder charge,” said Alvarez, who established the six-person unit solely to investigate wrongful conviction claims.

Nash will walk Friday and claims he does not harbor any anger..

“Well, I’m shocked,” he said through his lawyer Thursday. “Finally I’m getting justice. But I’m not mad at anybody. I just want to get on with my life.”

Source: Sun-Times/ ABC Local News