Genarlow Wilson: Freedom and New Prospects

Oct. 29, 2007 — -- After spending more than three years behind bars and at the center of one of the country's most expensive and controversial legal battles, Genarlow Wilson, released from jail Friday by the Georgia Supreme Court, says he has no interest in seeing the inside of a courthouse again — even as a lawyer.

"I don't think I want to step in a courtroom anytime soon," the 21-year-old said. "My first thing is going be trying to get into college."

Wilson gained national attention after he was charged and convicted of rape after being caught on videotape engaging in consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl at a Douglasville, Ga., New Year's Eve party in 2004. He was a 17-year-old honor student and high school football star at the time of his arrest.

Today, Wilson is attempting to make up for the years he spent in jail.

"I'm just looking forward to spending time with my family," Wilson said. "It feels wonderful. I've been away from them long enough."

A Difficult Journey Begins

A jury found Wilson not guilty of rape, but a charge of aggravated child molestation led to a mandatory 10-year sentence. "I was shocked," Wilson said. "I just knew my life was over."

The 1995 law Wilson violated was changed in 2006, making oral sex between teens close in age a misdemeanor.

Wilson maintained his innocence as he fought appeal after appeal behind bars.

"I know that it was consensual," Wilson said in a March 2006 interview with ABC News. "I wouldn't have went on with the acts if it wasn't consensual. I'm not that type of person. No means no."

But eventually, he began to question whether choosing not to plead guilty to lesser charges — like six others involved in the incident had done — was the right decision.

"I thought about it like, man, 'Should I have taken that deal?' We were getting screwed in the courts for quite some time," he said. Wilson did not plead guilty because he did not want to be marked as a sexual predator for the remainder of his life.

Eventually, news of his case built momentum and soon culminated in national press coverage, protests and a domestic debate over Wilson's fate.

As press attention grew, supporters tried to help Wilson get through the difficult situation. "To all my supporters, thank you very much," he said. "They helped let people know that this was an injustice."

Wilson's supporters were hopeful when Georgia legislators changed the law that landed him in prison after Wilson's conviction. But the happiness was fleeting — the law was not retroactive to Wilson's case.

It took the state's highest court to overturn the conviction, calling it grossly disproportionate to the crime.

Now the young man who once lacked faith in the justice system has had his confidence renewed, though he remains cautious.

"Be very careful," Wilson said. "A couple minutes of fun can be a lifetime of trouble."