A Bronx resident who spent approximately half of his life behind bars for a crime he says he didn’t commit is getting the justice he has sought for years. 

Tameka Brown says she never gave up hope that her husband Andre would receive the justice he deserved, and he’s finally coming home after spending 22 years in prison.  

Brown will be released on his own recognizance after a Bronx judge vacated two attempted murder charges in a 1999 shooting case. 

The decision means that for the first time in 22 years, Andre Brown will be able to celebrate the holidays in person with his family. 

“We were already planning Christmas, this will be an exceptional Christmas,” said Tameka Brown. “My son doesn’t know the news yet. We are hoping to surprise him.” 

Back in March, Brown’s attorneys presented new evidence showing that he couldn’t have been the gunman seen running from the scene because of a severe leg injury he had at the time. Brown’s co-attorney Jeffrey Deskovic says wrongly convicted cases are a personal mission of his. 

“For someone who was exonerated myself and spent 16 years in prison, becoming a lawyer for the purpose of freeing people… it’s surreal to help another individual gain their freedom,” says Deskovic. 

Brown was initially sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office has filed an appeal against his release, citing that Brown is a flight risk. He could be released as early as tomorrow.