(WWJ) “It’s been a hard uphill battle," he said. "...The sun couldn't shine on not a brighter day. This is the brightest for me."
Juwan Deering, who already served 15 years in prison after a murder conviction is a free man and will not be re-tried.
Deering, 50, appeared in court Thursday to find out his fate from Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
Deering's family was in tears and applauding when the announcement was made.
WWJ's Mike Campbell reported it was an emotional reunion as Deering walked out the courthouse into the arms of his daughter, and the grandchildren he'd never met.
"It feels great; I'm ecstatic," Deering said, who was sentenced to life in 2006. "And I'm really, really happy. I can't be no happier."
Antwon Deering, Juwan's brother, was among those there to show support.
"I'm happy, relieved that justice finally came our way," the brother told Campbell. "So, right now we're about to try to start all over, keep a good live going... I'm just happy.
Juwan Deering was convicted in 2006 of arson and five counts of felony murder for a fire in Royal Oak Township that killed five children.
Authorities at the time said the fire was revenge for drug debts, though Deering repeatedly declared his innocence. No one could identify him as being at the property.
McDonald said her staff uncovered a video of a police interview with a 13-year-old survivor who had looked at a photo lineup of possible suspects in 2000 and said Deering wasn’t involved.
Last week, an Oakland County judge overturned Deering's conviction saying Deering did not receive a fair trial, as some important evidence was not presented.
Deering is “fully innocent” and “never should have been tried in this case in the first place,” his team at the Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan law school said in a court filing.
Despite spending over a decade behind bars, he's not bitter.
"I can't be upset or angry because I doesn't do anything but causes you to look ugly on the outside, and make you sick on the inside," Deering said. "But the day has come and I'm grateful."
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