AP Interview: Exonerated Conn. prisoner a ‘little bitter,’ but glad justice has been served

AP Interview: Exonerated inmate a ‘little bitter’

SUFFIELD, Conn. — One of two Connecticut men whose convictions for a 1993 killing were overturned said Wednesday he isn’t quite sure what to expect when he experiences his first moments of freedom after spending more than 16 years behind bars.

“It still hasn’t hit me yet until I can take a deep breath of air, walk a direction I want to walk in,” George Gould told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday at MacDougall-Walker prison in Suffield.

Superior Court Judge Stanley Fuger ruled two weeks ago that Gould and Ronald Taylor are “actually innocent” of the crime, saying they were the victims of a “manifest injustice.” His ruling came after a star witness recanted.

Prosecutors say they will appeal the decision, but Gould and Taylor are expected to be released from prison Thursday.

Taylor and Gould were convicted of killing Eugenio Deleon Vega, a New Haven shop owner, and sentenced to 80 years in prison. Gould, a large man with a graying beard, said from his first day in prison he reminded anyone who would listen that he was innocent.

“I became numb to my surroundings,” Gould said. “I kind of felt different from everybody else.”

Gould said the witness who recanted, described by the judge as a troubled woman, was taken advantage of.

“I hold nothing against her,” he said.

Gould, who is 48 and has four children ranging in age from 16 to 27, said he does feel bitter “in certain aspects.”

“I feel a little bitter when I think about my kids,” Gould said.

But Gould is grateful he survived to win his freedom.

“I’m glad that I’m alive to see this — finally justice,” Gould said, his voice cracking. “Thank God that I’m alive.”