Chicago man released from prison after murder conviction vacated after serving nearly 30 years

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago man has been released from prison a judge vacated his murder conviction because prosecutors said there is not enough evidence to re-try him.

Lee Harris has proclaimed his innocence from behind bars for decades, and ABC7 was there moments after he was finally released from Stateville Prison in Crest Hill.

He was met by family and his attorney.

"If you believe it, you can achieve it. And, I didn't know when or how long, but they weren't going to carry me out of there," he said.

Lee was convicted of murder in 1992 in the case of the death of Dana Feitler. She was shot and killed in 1989 in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood after taking out $400 from an ATM.

Harris said he was tortured and forced to confess by the lead detective on the case.

"In my early years, they couldn't have sat down with me. But, you know, as you grow older, I know they're not thinking about me, so why should I waste time thinking about them?" he said.

Harris was surrounded by his only son, family, friends, and the attorneys that fought for his freedom Thursday night at Manzo's Burger in Morgan Park. His son Jermaine was just 7 years old when his father was imprisoned.

"He was always there. He couldn't be physically there, but he knew what I did in football. He had his friends come and visit me," Jermaine Harris said.

Feitler's family said they were made aware of Harris' release two days ago. They released a statement, saying in part, "Thirty-four years ago, our daughter and sister Dana Feitler, a kind, hard-working and talented 24-year-old Chicagoan was randomly abducted from the lobby of her home and murdered. Not a day has gone by where the memory of Dana has not been present in our family's lives. "

"My heart goes out to that family because for over 33 years that family, they thought they had closure," Harris said moments after he was released from prison. "Now the wounds have reopened. I feel so sorry for them. My heart goes out to them, I just hope them the best."

Harris says he has a lot of family time to catch up on, and will start at Friday night's Bulls game, which he and his son plan to attend.