A Louisiana man who was condemned to life sentence in 1974 for kidnapping and raping a nurse in 1971, has now regained his freedom after serving 43 years in jail.

For the sake of clarity, Wilbert Jones has not been set free because his prison term has elapsed. It has actually been determined that the then 19-year-old man was wrongfully failed for a crime he had no knowledge about, and probably would never have committed in his life.

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His conviction at the was purely based on an identification parade conducted by the state which saw the said nurse single Jones out of a group of suspects as the perpetrator of the rape against her; three months after the crime, according to reports.

When the case found itself before state District Court Judge, Richard Anderson, he described it as “weak at best” claiming the state authorities at that time perverted justice by hiding a vital information that could have exonerated the then teenager.

The nurse who testified against Jones died in 2008, according to reports, but Wilbert Jones has now been set free at age 65.

Family members reportedly hugged one another outside the court room amidst tears.

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In writing his judgement, Richard Anderson said the police knew that the description of the late nurse’s attacker did not match the appearance of Jones, “Nevertheless, the state failed to provide this information to the defense.”

It is not clear if the poor man is entitled to any form of compensation from the state for the better part of his life that has gone waste in prison.