California man who spent 38 years in prison for murder is freed after DNA evidence points to different person

A man who spent more than 38 years behind bars for a 1983 murder and two attempted murders has been released from a California prison after long-untested DNA evidence pointed to a different person, the Los Angeles County district attorney said Friday.

The conviction of Maurice Hastings, 69, and a life sentence were vacated during an Oct. 20 court hearing at the request of prosecutors and his lawyers from the Los Angeles Innocence Project at California State University, Los Angeles.

"I prayed for many years that this day would come," Hastings said at a news conference Friday, adding: "I am not pointing fingers; I am not standing up here a bitter man, but I just want to enjoy my life now while I have it."