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THREE OF THE RAPISTS ARE RELATED. >> THESE THREE UNKNOWN PROFILES WHO DO NOT MATCH ANY OF THE DEFENDANTS, ARE BROTHERS. THERE'S NO BROTHERS ANYWHERE IN THE CASE. >> Reporter: SEVEN MONTHS LATER, A HEARING WAS SET FOR MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016. BUT ON THE THURSDAY BEFORE THE HEARING, PROFESSOR WATSON WAS INFORMED THERE WOULD BE NO HEARING. AFTER TWO DECADES OF DEFENDING THE CONVICTIONS IN THIS CASE, THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE CONCEDED AND AGREED TO OVERTURN DARRYL PINKINS' CONVICTION. THE VERY NEXT DAY, DARRYL WAS SET TO BE RELEASED, AN INNOCENT MAN WITH NO RECORD. >> OH! ARE YOU SERIOUS? OH, DARRYL'S GETTING OUT TOMORROW! >> ARE YOU SERIOUS? >> Reporter: AFTER WORKING ON THIS CASE FOR THREE YEARS, WE CALLED DARRYL'S FAMILY AND ROOSEVELT GLENN WITH LIFE- CHANGING NEWS. >> (\ CRYING \) >> Reporter: WE WERE ALSO THERE THE NEXT DAY WHEN DARRYL, STILL HANDCUFFED, FINALLY HEARD THE NEWS HE'S BEEN WAITING FOR, FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS. 50 FEET ACROSS FROM THIS BUILDING IS YOUR MOM, SOME OF YOUR KIDS, SISTERS, NEPHEWS, AND THEY ARE SO ANXIOUS TO SEE YOU. >> I FEEL LIKE I'M ABOUT TO EXPLODE, BUT I'M SO THANKFUL. >> Reporter: WE ALL WAITED THAT ENTIRE DAY FOR DARRYL TO BE RELEASED, ALL ON THE EDGE. BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED. >> OKAY, GUYS, WE DON'T HAVE GOOD NEWS. >> Reporter: APPARENTLY, THE PAPERWORK HAD NOT BEEN SIGNED IN TIME. SO, A MAN, NOW INNOCENT IN THE EYES OF THE LAW, WOULD REMAIN LOCKED UP FOR THE WEEKEND. >> THIS IS \ NOT \ WHAT YOU DO TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE PUT UP WITH 25 YEARS OF ABSOLUTE INJUSTICE AND THEY HAVE A COURT ORDER IN THEIR HANDS TO SAY " FREE THIS MAN ." >> THE PROCESS HAS TO START BACK UP AT 8: 00 A. M. HERE, WHICH IS 9: 00 A. M. THERE, MONDAY MORNING, WHEN THEY START BUSINESS. >> Reporter: THAT MONDAY, THERE WERE EVEN MORE PEOPLE THERE TO SEE DARRYL PINKINS RELEASED. AND THANKS TO JAIL ADMINISTRATOR MARK PUREVICH, " 48 HOURS" GOT AN EXTRAORDINARY LOOK AT DARRYL'S REENTRY INTO HIS WORLD. >> GOOD? >> MM- HMM, I'M GOOD. >> OKAY, TAKE YOUR STUFF BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY ARMS TO HOLD ANYTHING. >> Reporter: HAD YOU SEEN HIM DRESSED IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES BEFORE? >> NO, NEVER. NEVER. >> Reporter: AND HE HAD A DIFFERENT STANCE? >> YEAH. YOU ALREADY SAW THE DIFFERENT PERSON. YOU GOT TO SEE DARRYL BE A MAN AGAIN, YOU KNOW, BE A PROUD MAN, AND LEAVE FEELING EXONERATED, KNOWING THAT THE WORLD WOULD KNOW HE DIDN'T DO IT. (\ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE \) >> HERE WE GO! (\ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE \) THIS IS YOUR MOMENT, DARRYL! (\ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE \) >> OH, MY GOD! >> Reporter: FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN TWO DECADES, DARRYL PINKINS-- NOW 64 YEARS OLD-- WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO HOLD HIS MOTHER AND HIS CHILDREN. (\ LAUGHTER \) BUT DARRYL WASN'T ALONE. FOR HIM, IT WAS ALSO ABOUT HIS PARTNER IN INNOCENCE. (\ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE \) IS THIS THE FIRST WRONGFULLY CONVICTED CASE THAT TRUE ALLELE HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERTURNING THE CONVICTION? >> YES. >> Reporter: PRECEDENT- SETTING? >> CLEARLY. (\ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE \) AND HOPEFULLY OPEN UP THE EYES OF OTHER LAWYERS THAT IN THESE MIXTURE CASES, IT'S NOW TIME TO GO BACK AND TRY AGAIN. >> FEELS LIKE THIS DAY, WAS... IT WAS MEANT TO BE. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A NEW BEGINNING, YOU KNOW. >> AMEN. (\ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE \) >> Reporter: SHORTLY AFTER THESE MEN WERE CONVICTED, LAKE COUNTY PROSECUTOR BERNARD CARTER TOOK OFFICE, AND HAS VEHEMENTLY FOUGHT EVERY APPEAL IN THIS CASE. ONE MONTH AFTER DARRYL'S RELEASE, CARTER FINALLY AGREED TO AN INTERVIEW. HAS THIS OFFICE... HAVE YOU GONE BACK AND LOOKED AT THE CASE ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO SAY, " DID WE MISS SOMETHING HERE ?" >> YEAH, WE HAVE DONE THAT. AND... AND NOT REALLY. ONLY THING WE FEEL THAT WE GOT CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE ONCE THAT LAST D. N. A. PROFILE WAS, WE FELT ABSOLUTELY THAT SOMETHING HAS TO DONE. >> Reporter: BUT ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL THEN... >> BUT ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL TODAY, IT WAS AN ARGUABLE CASE. YES, IT WAS. >> Reporter: WITH ONE PRETTY SIGNIFICANT EXCEPTION. >> WELL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT IDENTIFICATION, THAT IDENTIFICATION WAS, IN MY OPINION, VERY FLAWED. >> Reporter: AFTER PERSONALLY TAKING THE TIME TO REVIEW THE ENTIRE CASE FILE, CARTER, WHO SHOOK DARRYL'S HAND THE DAY HE WAS RELEASED, SAYS HE IS NOW VERY BOTHERED BY THE VICTIM IDENTIFICATION, WHICH KEPT DARRYL BEHIND BARS FOR NEARLY A QUARTER CENTURY. IF THAT HADN'T HAPPENED, THAT I. D ., WOULD DARRYL PINKINS HAVE SPENT 24 AND A HALF YEARS IN PRISON? >> I DON'T THINK HE WOULD HAVE. I DON'T THINK HE WOULD HAVE. ABSOLUTELY NOT. >> Reporter: AND IF DARRYL PINKINS, WHO WAS TRIED BEFORE GLENN, HAD NOT BEEN CONVICTED, WOULD ROOSEVELT GLENN HAD GONE? >> NO. IT'D FAIL, TOO, PROBABLY. >> Reporter: DETECTIVE MIKE SOLAN STRONGLY DISAGREES, AND REMAINS CONVINCED THAT DARRYL PINKINS IS GUILTY. THE PROSECUTOR SAID THE WORDS, " HE DIDN'T DO IT ." >> YEAH. >> Reporter: RIGHT. HE DIDN'T DO IT. >> DOES THAT MAKE HIM RIGHT? >> Reporter: DOES IT MAKE YOU RIGHT TO SAY THAT HE DID? >> NO. BUT WE GOT PEOPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE TO SAY HE'S WRONG. >> Reporter: NOT THE MAYOR OF GARY, INDIANA, KAREN FREEMAN- WILSON, WHO GAVE ROOSEVELT GLENN A JOB WHEN HE WAS PAROLED. IS IT A FAIR QUESTION TO ASK YOU IF YOU THINK RACE PLAYED A ROLE IN THIS CASE? >> I CERTAINLY THINK IT DID IN THE INVESTIGATION AND THE WAY THAT DETECTIVE SOLAN VIEWED THESE MEN, THE FACT THAT THERE WERE BLACK MEN CHARGED WITH RAPING A WHITE WOMAN. >> ASK THEM TO PRODUCE ANY EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT I WAS RACIST ON THIS. I TALKED TO THEM, I GAVE THEM THE MIRANDA WARNINGS, I NEVER THREATENED ANY OF THEM. I FOLLOWED THE EVIDENCE. I NEVER USED THE WORD NIGGER TO THEM. I NEVER INSULTED THEM USING THAT WORD. HAVE I EVER USED IT IN MY LIFE? EARLIER IN LIFE, I HAVE. I HAVEN'T USED THAT WORD IN 20 YEARS. >> YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ALL MEAN TO ME, AND THAT WE DID THIS TOGETHER. WE DID THIS TOGETHER. THAT'S HOW IT WORKS. >> THANK GOD FOR FRAN. SHE'S AN ANGEL SENT FROM ABOVE. >> TO ME, SHE'S A LIFESAVER. SHE IS. >> THIS CASE, OVERALL, COULD'VE BEEN PREVENTED FROM DAY ONE. AND IT'S SAD TO SAY THAT THOSE THAT ARE IN CHARGE, IN POWER, NEED TO GET BACK TO ETHICS, GOOD ETHICS. >> DR. STEVEN SCHWARTZ DIED VIOLENTLY, STRANGLED, STABBED, SHOT. >> REBECCA SCHWARTZ HAD A WONDERFUL LIFE WITH HER HUSBAND. >> I BECAME REALLY CLOSE WITH THE FAMILY. >> ANTOINE STRAGAJ HAS BEEN ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH MURDER IN THE FIRST- DEGREE. >> I DIDN'T DO IT. I WAS SET UP. >> Reporter: WHEN DR. SCHWARTZ DIES, WHO BENEFITS? WERE YOU INTERVIEWED BY POLICE? >> I WAS. I SAID TO THEM, " PLEASE DO NOT OVERLOOK ANYONE IN THIS FAMILY ." >> STEVEN SCHWARTZ HAD A DARK SIDE. >> Reporter: WHEN YOU LEARNED THAT YOUR BELOVED FATHER HAD ONCE BEEN A MURDERER, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU? >> WHAT HAPPENED WITH STEVE SHOULD BE A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE.
