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A Florida man who spent 27 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit is receiving a full pardon from the state tonight. William Dillon was exonerated for murder in 2008, but because of a prior drug conviction he had to wait four years before he was compensated. As Whitney Ray tells us, Dillon was pardoned for the drug conviction this morning and now he’s on a campaign to change the law.

William Dillon could be spending another Christmas behind bars instead of recording songs, but DNA evidence freed him after 27 years locked up for murder.

Dillon was exonerated in 2008, but it took four years for the state to cough up the million dollars he was owed for the wrongful conviction.

“I’ve taken off like a flower blooms big in the spring,” said Dillon.

Thursday, dressed in black and wearing a silver eagle around his neck, Dillon had one final request. Before being wrongfully convicted of murder, Dillon was arrested for a felony drug possession. He asked the state clemency board to wipe the slate clean.

Because of his prior conviction and a clean hands provision in Florida law, Dillon had to lobby lawmakers to get his claims bill passed instead of getting the money automatically. Now he wants the law changed.

Human Rights Advocate Mark Schlakman says having Dillon on board helps the cause.

“Bill is going to bring some energy and visibility to that agenda as well,” said Schlakman.

But for now, Dillon is focused on his freedom and his music career.

“I have hundreds of songs I’ve written and I’d like to let the world hear those,” said Dillon.

His album, most of which was written in prison, is called Black Robes and Lawyers.

After Dillon was released from prison he moved to North Carolina. He said at the time there were still people who thought he was guilty. Since then the real killers have been caught and Dillon is planning to move back to Florida.