Inmate, 66, Freed After 29 Years Behind Bars

(CBS) – A man who spent the last 29 years in prison was freed Tuesday after prosecutors dropped the charges against him.

Arthur Brown, 66, had been convicted for a double murder more than 30 years ago.

"I knew this day would come and the truth would come out," Brown said as reporters and family members met him outside Cook County Jail.

Brown was arrested in 1988 after a suspicious fire at a South Side Video Store that spread and killed two people. Brown claims he was beaten into a confession and sentenced to life.

Years later, a different man confessed to the arson and Brown received a second trial. The jury wasn't convinced. A judge threw out the latest conviction, and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office chose to drop the case.

On Tuesday, Brown used a cell phone for the first time and had his first meal with family in nearly three decades: seafood.

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• Steve Miller