NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Thursday Michael Agee was released from Wyoming Correctional Facility after almost 11 years behind bars for crimes he didn't commit.
Agee spoke with 7 News Reporter Michael Schwartz on Friday, less than 24 hours since he was released. His friends setup a GoFundMe pageto help him get back into a lifestyle.
"I ain't been asleep yet. I'm so excited," emphasized Agee. "It just feels so unreal. I dreamed about this moment for so long. It just feels unreal."
Agee, who is now 30, was arrested when he was 18 years old. In December 2010, he was accused of robbing a food deliveryman and an antique store both in Niagara Falls.
Attorney Brian Shiffrin said in 2012 Agee was sentenced to 12 years in prison even though "there was no physical evidence connecting him with either crime."
"I felt cheated," said Agee. "It hurt because I had no one to cry out to. I'm crying out to the prosecutors and I'm innocent and it's falling on deaf ears."
Shiffrin said the prosecution did not share information that would've proved Agee was not involved in the robberies. Agee said he was home at the time of the crimes, as a teen who just graduated from Niagara Falls High School.
During the first year he was incarcerated his mother died from cancer.
"I'm not bitter," said Agee. "I'm looking toward the future and, you know, just honoring her with living out my life the best way I can."
A motion was filed by Shiffrin in 2022 and after a hearing that was held in June, Agee was released on Thursday.
