KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee exonerated a Grundy County man Thursday in a murder case for which he was wrongfully imprisoned for more than a decade.
Adam Braseel, 38, spent 12 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. He received the news Thursday morning.
"It’s awesome. It’s been a long time coming. I’m so happy to be able to say I’m exonerated," he said. "Just because I’m innocent, just because I’m a faithful man of God, didn't mean I’d ever be coming home."
A jury convicted Braseel on eyewitness testimony alone, with no physical evidence, former Knoxville News Sentinel Reporter Matt Lakin said.
"It really sounded like there were some serious holes in the case," Lakin said. "Adam had red hair and the sergeant on the scene who discovered [the] body said, 'Who around here has red hair?'"
A court later freed Braseel, who had an alibi for the time of the murder, but the Tennessee Supreme Court ordered him back to prison, Lakin said.
Later, a random TBI fingerprint search confirmed someone else was at the scene of the crime. Braseel pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was released around 2 years ago.
During an interview Friday, he received final word from his attorneys that the full exoneration had gone through and his rights will be fully restored.
"It was unlikely for me to ever come home, it was unlikely for me to be completely exonerated by the governor. So it’s special," he said.
Despite the setbacks and the 12 years in prison, he said his story is one of hope, "it should motivate people to never give up."
Braseel now lives in Jacksboro with his wife.