More than two decades after his conviction for the 1987 murder of his ex-wife's grandmother, Richard Lapointe walked out of court free on bond wearing a shirt that said, "I didn't do it."
Lapointe, 69, had been jailed for more than 26 years for the death of 88-year-old Bernice Martin, who was found raped, stabbed and strangled in her burning Manchester apartment.
Now he's getting a new trial.
"Thank you everybody that helped me get out of jail," Lapointe said after his release Friday. "I just kept thinking, 'I'm going home, I'm going home, I'm going home.'"
A lower court overturned Lapointe's 1992 conviction last year after his attorneys argued that DNA evidence provided his innocence and called his first defense team ineffective.
The state Supreme Court ruled late last month that Lapointe was deprived of a fair trial because prosecutors failed to disclose material that might have given him a credible alibi.
Court officials said prosecutors suppressed key evidence that put Lapointe at home watching television during the time Martin's apartment went up in flames.
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"I wouldn't even kill my worst enemy," Lapointe said Friday.
Lapointe suffers from brain damage, according to reports, and his advocates have questioned the validity of a confession he made to police in Martin's slaying.
"He was coerced into confessing," said attorney Paul Casteleiro. "Anyone who knows him knows you can get him to say a lot of different things."
A Hartford Superior Court judge set Lapointe's bond at $250,000 on Friday and required him to post 10 percent of it in cash. He has been released on bail following a court order for a new trial.
His attorneys said Lapointe will be staying with a couple in East Hartford. A court order prevents him from seeing his family.
Murder charges have been re-filed but prosecutor Gail Hardy said the state has not decided whether to go ahead with another trial. Lapointe's defense attorneys said they're confident the charges will be dismissed.
In the meantime, Lapointe is enjoying his freedom and catching up on everything he missed while behind bars – including the advent of the cellphone. He held one for the first time Friday and even took a selfie.
