Wrongly accused man who spent 10 years on death row for a double murder is finally free

The 38-year-old Clementine Aguirre-Jarquin spent more than a decade in jail for a crime he didn't commit. He is now finally free.

He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the deaths of his neighbors Cheryl Willaims, 48, and the 68-year-old Carole Bareis.

Aguirre-Jarquin found their bodies but didn't notify the authorities of their deaths for that he could face extradition and be deported to Honduras.

Read more on our Twitter account, @amomama_usa. He was freed after Williams' daughter Samantha was linked to the murders.

When Aguirre-Jarquin was released from prison earlier this week, he told the judge that he is grateful from the bottom of his heart. Aguirre-Jarquin added:

"This humble immigrant thanks you. I have only forgiveness in my heart for those who did wrong to me."

The case was only investigated again recently when Samantha dropped hints to friends and family that she had killed her mother.

Blood found at the scene of the crime tested positive for Samantha's DNA, but it was overlooked at the time in favor of the evidence that pointed to Aguirre-Jarquin.

His bloody footprints and blood-soaked clothes were found at the scene and authorities said they had reason to believe that he was also tied to the murder weapon.

However, they failed to note that none of the blood found at the scene was Aguirre-Jarquin and the oversite sent the innocent man to jail for 14 years.

The case was reopened when his attorneys presented new evidence. They are happy about the outcome and said their client was "nearly executed for a crime he didn't commit."

They warned: “While we are overjoyed that his ordeal is finally over, the case of Clemente Aguirre should serve as a chilling cautionary tale about how dangerous it is when there is a rush to judgment in a capital case.

According to his legal team, Aguirre-Jarquin pleaded for the blood to be tested and thankfully his post-conviction attorneys saw to that.

In a similar case, John Thompson was cleared after 14 years on death row.

One month before he set to be executed, his legal team revisited his case after a former assistant prosecutor admitted he had deliberately hidden the blood evidence from Thompson's legal team. Read the full account here.