Will Eric Glisson News Today

scene. >> six people were convicted, including eric glisson. >> you actually think they read the wrong verdict. >> then divine intervention through a nun he called grandma. >> eric would say, "grandma, i think this all happening for a reason. " >> maybe a nun could help him get into heaven, but could she help him get out of prison? what she helped him do was get a lawyer, and together they hunted for the truth. >> this is the one case that has kept me up at night for six years. >> he s...

>> this is my wall of hope. everyone here has been unjustly convicted and freed. >> on august 5th, 2012, erics lawyer goes to court. >> this is our first appearance to try to get the judgment vacated. >> cross is joined by his assistant charmaine chester. by now, they have worked on the case for six years. >> i want to see him out. i told him the last time i went up to sing sing, im not visiting you here again. this is it. >> finally, cross argues his case to the judge. >> my client has spent 17...

Hello and welcome to "dateline. " eric glisson was just 20 years old when he was convicted of a murder that sent shockwaves through his neighborhood. a crime he insisted he did not commit. to clear his name eric would have to find the real killers, following clues from the confines of his cell. it would take years for the truth to come out. but would it be enough to set him free? heres josh mankiewicz with "a bronx tale. " >> sing sing correctional facility. the maximum security prison in new yo...

Oboth new york city and state would ultimately agree to pay each of the bronx six millions of dollars in damages. but for eric, the immediate challenge was starting a new life. one full of amazing discoveries. >> hello? >> no, no. upside down. >> huh? >> coming up -- eric glissons first night of freedom in almost 20 years. >> wow! >> when "dateline" continues. care. i go to spin classes with my coworkers. good for you, shingles doesnt care. because no matter how healthy you feel, your risk of sh...

Its really hard. >> i told her grandma, i just lost my last appeal. i dont know what im going to do. >> i always say, eric, lets keep the faith and lets go and pray and i said, we have many, many sisters praying with you. >> sister joanna offered more than just her prayers. thats when she brought in peter cross, who was now fighting for eric on the outside. >> so you have detective donnelly as the officer assigned. >> yes. >> with eric as his guide, cross got up to speed. and he found some troub...

Your family must love you very much. and he said, yes, because they know im innocent. and thats how the whole story began. >> a story that began with the unlikely friendship between a nun and a convicted killer would grow into a quest that would shake the faith of even those sworn to uphold the law. >> i thought if he was innocent god has to see him through. >> so who is this convicted murderer? he is inmate 97a7088. eric glisson. we first met him in the spring of 2012 when a "dateline" producer...

Cell phone. >> yeah. wheres cynthia? hello? >> you have it upside down, eric. >> hello. >> no, no, upside down. like this. >> hello? huh? can you hear me now? like the commercial? >> his first meal? lamb chops. >> wow. >> its like jumping up out of a coffin and walking, you know. its like being read your last rites, and all of a sudden a miracle happens. youre back out in society an youre wondering, you know, will they accept you? yeah, you see? >> on his first night of freedom, erics lawyer tre...

>> ready, set, go. >> she was just a week old when he was arrested. >> dont get too excited. you cheated. >> and that degree he began working on behind bars? eeric started taking classes again two days after his release. and finally received that long-awaited diploma from mercy college. today, a fully exonerated eric glisson became a businessman, an entrepreneur. >> but the real joy for eric is reuniting with his daughter cynthia. >> cell phone towers. >> ready, set, go. >> she was just a week o...

Stand because she says detectives threatened to arrest her if she refused. >> they put me in handcuffs to take me, because i refused to go, you know, to court. i was just freaked out you know, because who want to be in handcuffs or in jail or something like that. nobody. >> in fact, court transcripts show she even attempted suicide as the trial began. but because she didnt testify against eric, her claims all these years later wouldnt help him. to have any chance at having another day in court e...

Every day, personal things start to slip in. >> friendship. >> friendship. >> in the meantime, her boss was checking out erics claims of innocence. did you believe it at the beginning? >> im not going to say -- i didnt disbelieve him. its just im practicing law for a long time. okay? >> and people lie. >> they certainly color the truth. this is a man who was convicted of murdering someone. so, of course, i approached it with some skepticism. >> but once cross learned the facts, he agreed to take...