James Bain used a cell phone for the first time Thursday, calling his elderly mother to tell her he had been freed after 35 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. Mobile devices didnt exist in 1974, the year he was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a 9-year-old boy and raping him in a nearby field. Neither did the sophisticated DNA testing that officials more recently used to determine he could not have been the rapist.

As Bain walked out of the Polk County courthouse Thursday, wearing a black T-shirt that said not guilty, he spoke of his deep faith and said he does not harbor any anger. No, Im not angry, he said. Because Ive got God. The 54-year-old said he looks forward to eating fried turkey and drinking Dr Pepper. He said he also hopes to go back to school. Friends and family surrounded him as he left the courthouse after Judge James Yancey ordered him freed. His 77-year-old mother, who is in poor health, preferred to wait for him at home. With a broad smile, he said he looks forward to spending time with her and the rest of his family.

Thats the most important thing in my life right now, besides God, he said. Earlier, the courtroom erupted in applause after Yancey ruled.

Mr. Bain, Im now signing the order, Yancey said. Youre a free man. Congratulations.