Those prayers came true Sunday when we walked out of the lockup a newly free man, after prosecutors determined he was apparently wrongfully convicted. A Superior Court judge set no conditions for Roman's release, setting his bond at US$1.
"I feel super free, super content," Roman, 25, said Tuesday, grinning widely outside his family's home in the poor La Perla district of San Juan.
"When you're innocent, (prison) feels bad," Roman told The Associated Press. He said he found refuge in the Bible: "You find things that nourish you ... my strength came from God."
Roman declined to comment on his case, but had always maintained he was innocent in the slaying of real estate developer Adam Anhang. The Winnipeg native was beaten and stabbed to death in September 2005 as he walked along the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan.
Roman was convicted and sentenced last year, and then last week came the stunning reversal: A U.S. grand jury charged Anhang's widow, Aurea Vazquez Rijos, with offering a man US$3 million to kill her estranged husband. She is believed to be abroad.
FBI investigators quickly arrested a man they believe carried out the murder-for-hire, Alex Pabon Colon. The grand jury indictment says two other unidentified people were also involved in the plot.
U.S. prosecutor Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said last week that Pabon and Roman could easily have been mistaken for one another.
"Throughout this investigation we have been concerned that a miscarriage of justice occurred through the wrongful conviction of Jonathan Roman," Rodriguez said.
Puerto Rican prosecutors asked the court to release Roman on bond while they reinvestigate the slaying.
The former inmate, who has been thronged by well-wishers since his release, said he plans to use his new lease on life to become a professional percussionist or keyboardist. He also wants to help others who were wrongfully accused of committing crimes.
