Last updated: 2 march, 2010 - 12:52 GMT
Texas man exonerated after his death
Governor Rick Perry called Timothy Cole's mum Ruby Session to announce the pardon
A man wrongly convicted of rape in Texas has been pardoned by Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Timothy Cole died of complications from asthma in 1999 while serving his 25 year jail sentence after his conviction in 1986.
His family fought long and hard to prove his innocence for almost a quarter of the century.
The breakthrough came in 2008 when DNA evidence proved that Timothy Cole had done nothing wrong and had been wrongfully convicted.
It is the first time Texas has issued a posthumous pardon.
Timothy's mother, Ruby Session tells the BBC how she felt when the pardon finally came through.
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First broadcast 2 March 2010
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