Longest Serving Exoneree Looks Toward the Future

Nearly three years after Florida inmate James Bain became the longest serving DNA exoneree when he was released after 35 years, he’s putting his case behind him and is looking toward the future, reported

The Ledger

. He spoke to an audience at Florida Southern College on Tuesday as part of a program organized by the

Innocence Project of Florida

.

“What can I do about yesterday? I can only live for tomorrow.”

 

With a mixture of humor, candor and Southern manners, Bain spent a couple of hours Tuesday with college students, professors and community members talking about justice, forgiveness, family and cars.

Bain was wrongfully convicted of a 1974 rape and kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison. After a

Florida statute

made it possible for certain cases to be reopened for DNA testing in 2001, he presented motions for the DNA evidence in his case to be tested. When the testing was finally granted, he was

proven innocent and exonerated

in December 2009. Since his release, Bain married and

recently welcomed a son

, James Jr. He is currently writing a book about his wrongful conviction.

 

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