Innocent man released after 31 years on death row

North Carolina authorities on Wednesday released Henry Lee McCollum from prison, after his conviction for the 1983 murder and rape of a child was overturned. McCollum had spent 31 years on death row, where he "was never allowed to open a door, turn on the light switch, or use a zipper," according to The New York Times.

Leon Brown, McCollum's half-brother, was also released. Brown, too, had been wrongly convicted in the case, but had been serving a life sentence.

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.