DETROIT – A Detroit man who spent 34 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit walked free Friday.
Darrel Siggers, 54, heard the words he's longed for since 1984. Prosecutors wanted to drop the murder charge against him, and Judge Shannon Walker ruled in his favor.
"Motion granted. Mr. Siggers, I wish you the best, sir. Enjoy your life," she said.
Siggers grew up on Detroit's east side and became a father when he was young. He was visiting his children's mother when a young man was shot to death.
Witnesses saw Siggers walking out of a wooded area and told officials they believed he was the killer. It took 34 years for Siggers to convince the court that he didn't commit the crime.
"It was truly an arduous journey. It was one of the hardest tasks I've ever had to overcome in my life. I lost my mother, my father. I almost all of my immediate family. All I have left is my children," he said.
Siggers' oldest daughter died just weeks ago.
"The prosecutor's office recognizes that I'm innocent, they recognize that this was just a bad case. Erroneous conviction, a wrongful conviction, they dismissed this case," he said. "I know what they did was wrong. I know my conviction was wrongful, and I should not have spent 34 years in prison for a crime I didn't commit. And yet, I'm not bitter about it, not letting prison make me bitter but have prison make me better."