Antonio Porter released after judge overturned 2002 murder conviction, orders new trial
A Chicago man is reuniting with family after being released from prison to continue fighting a more than two-decade-old murder conviction.
Found guilty of murder for the fatal 2002 shooting of Laymond Harrison, Antonio Porter will have another chance at freedom.
A judge released the 50-year-old this week when she vacated the standing murder conviction and ordered a new trial take place.
It took more than 23 years to get this moment, but in just seconds, Porter stepped into a new future and into the arms of his attorney. The future is still uncertain for Porter, who walked out of jail on his own.
He acknowledged that his legal fight continues in a brief conversation with reporters — referencing his ongoing electronic monitoring while his attorney takes issue with the way his release was handled.
"It's the best feeling ever, but I'm still not free. I have an ankle bracelet on," he said.
"I think he's really excited to be with family and people who care about him, and the support from the family is really important," said Porter's attorney Josh Tepfer. "They are all showing up now as soon as we learned. He doesn't have his cell phone. He had no way of getting a hold of us. And it's just… We all are dropping everything we can at the Sheriff's whim so we can try to help this man rebuild his life."
When asked if Porter had any words for his supporters, he said, "They know how I feel about them."