| Published: | Dec 13, 2012 10:43 AM EST |
| Updated: | Dec 13, 2012 10:43 AM EST |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida is wiping away a drug conviction of a man who spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit.
Gov. Rick Scott and members of the Florida Cabinet on Thursday gave a full pardon to William Dillon. Dillon was charged with drug possession back in 1979.
He was later arrested for the 1981 beating death of James Dvorak on a Brevard County beach. But DNA evidence showed he did not commit the crime and Dillon was freed from prison in November 2008.
This past year the Florida Legislature approved paying Dillon $1.35 million in compensation.
Dillion now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and has recently released a cd about his experiences in the justice system. Dillon, however, said he plans to move back to Florida.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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