Area man freed from prison after serving 22 years for a crime he didn't commit

DEDHAM, Mass. — A local man is finally with his family after 22 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. That man was released from jail on Tuesday after a judge granted him a new trial.

It was dreaming about the moment he would freely dance on the steps of Norfolk Superior Courthouse that kept Joe Bennett going in prison.

After Bennett spent more than two decades there following a conviction for murder, his friends and family cheered as he walked down the steps of Norfolk Superior Courthouse today.

Bennett was freed on bond after a judge granted him a new trial. He had been in prison since he was convicted in a deadly shooting inside a Mattapan club in 1997.

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Since then, more than a dozen witnesses came forward to testify that Bennett was not the shooter that night.

Bennett told Boston 25 News that the best part of freedom is hugging his daughter, who was just four years old when he went to prison.

"Just being with her is making this the best day of my life," Bennett said. "Just having a good time […] look forward to more things to come."

The District Attorney has until June 4 to file to retry the case, though that could be difficult as the star witness has since recanted.

Cox Media Group