Three Wrongfully Convicted Men Are Released After 18 Years In Prison

They were imprisoned for murdering a cab driver in the Bronx in 1995, but new evidence exonerated them in August.

1. These three men are Michael Cosme, Devon Ayers, and Carlos Perez. On Wednesday, they were released from jail after serving 18 years for a murder they didn’t commit.

In 1995, a Senegalese cab driver named Baithe Diop was shot and killed in the Bronx’s Soundview neighborhood. Two years later, Cosme, Ayers, and Perez — plus Eric Glisson and Cathy Watkins — were convicted of killing Diop.

In June 2012, new evidence revealed that gang members Jose Rodriguez and Gilbert Vega killed Diop. In December, Glisson, and Watkins were released. On Wednesday, Cosme, Ayers, and Perez joined them.

NBC New York captured the moment that Michael Cosme yelled, “I’m free, I’m free. Finally, after 18 years, I’m free.” See the video below: