A New York man who spent 37 years in prison for killing two men is released after his conviction was overturned

ROCHESTER, NY– A New York man who spent 37 years in prison for the deaths of two people in the 1980s has been released after his conviction was overturned.

The Democrat and Chronicle reports that Michael Rhynes left the Attica Correctional Facility Tuesday afternoon after a court appearance in Rochester.

His daughter, Michelle Miller, who was born three months after Rhynes' arrest, told the newspaper she had never seen her father outside prison.

“This will be my first birthday, my first Christmas, my first New Year's Day with my dad outside,” she said. “I think this is the first day I experience joy. I mean, ever. It's like a dream.”

Acting Supreme Court Justice Stephen Miller dismissed Rhynes' 1986 murder conviction last week after two key witnesses, who had previously served time in prison with Rhynes, recanted their testimony.

The now 62-year-old was charged in connection with the murders of two people during a botched 1984 robbery of Rico's Restaurant in Rochester.

Police had said Rhynes was one of three masked gunmen who entered the restaurant and demanded money from the safe. A scuffle ensued and the owner and a customer were shot dead before the suspects fled empty-handed.

But the evidence against Rhynes was thin: No DNA, fingerprints or witnesses ever placed him at the scene, the newspaper reported. Prosecutors at the time were prepared to drop the charges before the judge urged them to proceed.

“We can't get those years, those hours, those minutes back,” Rhynes' daughter, Miller, told the newspaper. “The journey has not been easy. But today I am grateful.”