“I feel free. I feel great right now. I’ll able to do things that I [couldn’t] do for the last 21 years,” Wilson told CNN the day after his February 2014 release.
His freedom was cut short.
Wilson, 38, died Saturday night at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan after suffering from breathing problems and other health issues, less than a year after DNA evidence led to his freedom, according to a statement from his attorney’s office.
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Deskovic feels affected by both deaths, even though he never met Wilson in person.
“Lives are literally being stolen from these wrongful convictions,” said Deskovic. “What is it going to take for our government to finally pass legislation to prevent this? How many more lives are going to be impacted like this?”
CNN’s Haley Draznin and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.
