Virginia Man Wrongfully Convicted of Attempted Rape Exonerated After 29 Years

Governor Terry McAuliffe granted a pardon to Michael McAlister, 58, who spent 29 years in prison over kidnapping and attempted rape charges that the authorities now say he did not commit.

"We were all crying tears of joy this time," McAlister's sister, Denise Haas, said in a telephone interview. "I was screaming and crying so loud I couldn't even hear my brother."

"We are just floating on cloud nine. We've been living 29-plus years in a nightmare that nobody would believe, and now it's over. My brother's going to be free and be able to be with the family and catch up on all these years we've missed."

McAlister was convicted in 1986 for the abduction and attempted rape of a women who was being dragged at knife point in the laundry room of an apartment complex in Richmond.

The victim later identified McAlister from a photo line-up. The police did not include the picture of serial rapist Norman Derr who was said to bear a strong resemblance to McAlister at the time.

Derr later confessed to the crime for which McAlister was convicted. He is currently serving three life terms in prison.

"My staff and I have carefully and thoroughly reviewed the documentation in this case and concluded that a pardon is appropriate in light of the overwhelming evidence, including a recent confession by another individual, pointing to Mr. McAlister's actual innocence of the crime for which he was convicted," McAuliffe said in a written statement.

Shawn Armbrust, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project and lawyers for McAlister said, "We're thrilled the governor did the right thing here and that he's giving Mike the freedom he's deserved for so long. I know these aren't easy decisions for governors to make, and we are grateful that Gov. McAuliffe did it and did it so quickly."