A judge ordered a new trial for the men who have been jailed for nearly 30 years.

CHICAGO (AP) – Two men convicted of the 1976 rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl were released from prison Friday and a judge ordered a new trial after DNA evidence raised doubts about their guilt.

Michael Evans and Paul Terry have been in prison since their 1977 convictions for the death of Lisa Cabassa.

“I can truly say that a lot of my prayers have been answered and that I’d like to thank God for all the people who stood by my side and never gave up on me,” Evans said after his release.

Prosecutors are planning a new trial, said Jerry Lawrence, a spokesman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The two men spent nearly three decades in prison before the prosecutor in the original case, Thomas Breen, raised questions about their convictions.

Breen, who is now a defense attorney, had helped clear two other men who had been wrongfully convicted. He then began to have doubts about the Cabassa case.

“If these guys didn’t do it – and all the evidence seems to indicate we are dead wrong – then it’s devastating,” Breen said in January.

DNA testing conducted recently showed that semen found on the girl’s clothing did not come from Evans or Terry.

The two, who were sentenced to 200 to 400 years in prison, were both 17 when Cabassa’s body was found.

AP-ES-05-24-03 0004EDT

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