It was an emotional scene late Tuesday morning as William Franklin reunited with his family after spending more than four decades behind bars for a murder he says he did not commit.
NBC10 was there as Franklin, 77, hugged his loved ones outside the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on State Road in Philadelphia.
When asked how he felt about seeing his family members for the first time in decades, Franklin said he felt "fine" while also acknowledging the work that still needed to be done.
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"Fine, lovely, glad to be here," he said. "But it's more work to be done because we got a lot of brothers and sisters behind them walls," Franklin said. "That's where I'm at with that."
Franklin was 33-years-old when he was convicted for murder in Philadelphia in 1980 after jailhouse informants -- who said they were provided drugs and sex in exchange for testimony -- incorrectly identified him as a prime suspect in the case, according to Franklin's legal team.
Franklin spent 44 years behind bars, all while maintaining his innocence.
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Franklin earned a major victory in his decades-long fight on Wednesday, Feb. 28, when Judge Tracy Brandeis-Roman of the Philadelphia Court of Common Please vacated his conviction and granted him a new trial.
"Today means everything. I'm in shock," Franklin's daughter, Lisa Justice, told NBC10 last week. "I'm in awe. I don't think I can really express it. Just seeing the day come is surreal."
His daughters were only children when he went to prison 44 years ago.
Now, they're all grown up and they say it was prayer that kept them strong.
"I trust God but to see it, that's a whole other level," Justice said. "It's a whole other level of trust in God to live long enough to see it. I was seven years old when he left. I'll be 53 in June. But, we never gave up."
The family stuck together as Franklin spent most of his time at SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County.
"I would want to say I'm angry but I know better. He was not home to see us grow up," Justice explained. "We didn't have a graduation with our dad. He couldn't walk us down our wedding. He couldn't be there for the birth of our children. I feel like we lost those things."
The murder charge still stands, but Franklin was granted bail as the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office will now decide to retry the case or drop the charges. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Franklin's family, meanwhile, are holding a celebration for him on Tuesday. Franklin will remain under house arrest until Thursday's hearing.
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