Man Exonerated After 27 Years In Prison

Life isn't always fair, especially when you get placed in jail for 27 years for a crime you didn't commit.

The Washington Post reported that 57 year-old Kwame Ajamu, who has been out of Ohio prison since 2003 on parole, has finally been cleared of all charges stemming from his murder conviction when he was just 17.

Ajamu, named Ronnie Bridgeman at the time, took the fall for murdering a Cleveland  money-order salesman back in 1975, along with two other men.

The Cleveland salesman was attacked with acid and shot by two men, while a third drove the getaway car. With the 12 year-old Eddie Vernon acting as the main witness, the jury convicted Ajamu, his brother Wiley Bridgeman, then 20, and Ricky Jackson, 19, of the crime.

After a 2011 magazine story looked into the 1975 case, Vernon admitted he had lied in his testimony. He said was just a boy who wanted to help police, and didn't even see the crime. Apparently, he was actually on a bus.

Now, all three men are free and officially cleared of all charges. Ohio state laws say that people who are found to be wrongfully imprisoned can receive more than $40,000, which is good news for Ajamu and friends, although money can't bring back time lost.

Ajamu, his brother Wiley Bridgeman and Jackson could seek a total of $4.1 million in compensation, which prosecutors have said they will not fight.