A California man who spent more than three decades behind bars for a murder he did not commit was exonerated of the crime Monday, clearing the way for his release from prison, officials said.

Joaquin Ciria, who is now 61, was arrested in 1990 and convicted of a shooting death in San Francisco based on false witness testimony and police misconduct, said San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who dismissed the case against Ciria on Monday after a judge overturned his conviction.

Ciria’s case marked the first exoneration prompted by the District Attorney’s Innocence Commission, which was established by Boudin in 2020 to review potential wrongful conviction cases.

“Thirty-two years ago, you were taken away from your wife and your baby, and that is because the system failed you catastrophically,” Lara Bazelon, chair of the commission, said during a news conference alongside Boudin and members of Ciria’s family. “Now at long last, you have a chance to take back your life.”