Jonathan Irons, whose bid for freedom from a 50-year prison sentence was embraced and pushed by the W.N.B.A. star Maya Moore, walked out of a Missouri penitentiary on Wednesday, nearly four months after a judge overturned his conviction on charges of burglary and assault.
Irons, 40, an African-American man convicted at age 18, was met by Moore, her family, and other supporters who hugged him and cheered outside the Jefferson City Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison off a countryside thruway called No More Victims Road. At one point, Moore sunk to her knees as if in prayerful astonishment.
βI feel like I can live life now,β Irons said. βIβm free, Iβm blessed, I just want to live my life worthy of Godβs help and influence.β He added: βI thank everybody who supported me β Maya and her family.β