by TChris

Lafonso Rollins was 17 in 1993 when he was arrested during a police investigation of robberies and rapes of the elderly at a Chicago housing complex.

In police custody, Rollins, a special-education student who had completed only 9th grade, signed a confession detailing the attacks, was convicted and sentenced to 75 years in prison, his attorneys said.

Two years ago, Rollins' public defender, Ingrid Gill, asked for DNA from the crime scene to be retested. The results finally came back, indicating that Rollins was not the source of the DNA. After additional tests, prosecutors agreed that Rollins' conviction should be vacated.

Rollins was released from prison this month. He can't replace the things he missed most during his years in prison: time with his mother, father, sister, and grandmother, all of whom died while Rollins was behind bars.