Thanks in large part to the work of the Innocence Project of Texas, a Dallas man was pardoned by Texas Gov. Rick Perry Wednesday, nearly thirty years after he was wrongfully accused of of raping and killing his girlfriend.

James Lee Woodard was originally released from prison in April 2008 after a DNA-retesting program run by the new Dallas District Attorney cleared him of the 1980 murder of  Beverly Ann Jones. He had spent 27 years behind bars for a crime he consistently denied doing. DNA testing was unavailable at the time of the crime. On Wednesday, the Governor officially cleared his name.

"James Lee Woodard was wrongfully convicted for a crime he did not commit," Perry said. "My action today cannot give back the time he spent in prison, but it does end this miscarriage of justice."

Woodard's DNA was tested in large part thanks to Craig Watkins, who was inaugurated as Dallas' first African-American District Attorney in 2007. Watkins set up the nation's first DA-run Conviction Integrity Unit, and dedicated much of his staff's resources to reexamining convictions won by notorious former DA Henry Wade. The CIU has reviewed DNA of hundreds of people convicted in Dallas who think DNA testing can clear their name.

Woodard was convicted based on the testimony of two witnesses who said they saw him with Jones the night of her murder. One of the witnesses was Jones' stepfather who later recanted his testimony. A neighbor also testified seeing them together that night, though from a distance while it was dark out.

Watkins and IPOT later discovered that Jones was with three other men at various points in the night. Wade and other Dallas Prosecutors allegedly knew about this but did not disclose it to Woodard's attorneys or the judge. Two of those three men have sexual assault convictions on their records.

In April 2008, a few months after submitting his DNA for testing, Woodard was visited in prison by his attorneys from the Innocence Proejct of Texas, who told him that his DNA excluded him as the rapist. The next day, thanks to the DNA exclusion combined with the newly found evidence, Judge Mark Stoltz agreed to let Woodard walk out of the courthouse a free man.

Mr. Woodard was represented by IPOT Chief Counsel Jeff Blackburn and Jason Partney on his pardon application, which was unanimously supported by The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. The pardon makes Woodard eligible to receive state compensation for his wrongful conviction. Because he was incarcerated for longer than anyone ever exonerated by DNA evidence, many experts expect Woodard to receive a record $4 million or more in compensation.

Woodard is one of 20 Dallas County men who have had their convictions overturned under the CIU program. The Dallas District Attorney's Office and the Innocence Project of Texas are still working on over 200 old cases of people who hope their DNA will prove their wrongful conviction and clear their names.

Click here to watch a 60 Minutes report about Woodard's case and the CIU that aired the week Woodard was originally released from prison.

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