Chicago: The man who spent 20 years in prison was released after his twin brother admitted crime

An American man who spent nearly two decades in prison for a murder in 2003, was released after his identical twin admitted the crime.

Kevin Dugar was sentenced in 2005 for a murder and sentenced to 54 years in prison.

An armed man had opened fire on three people in the Uptown area of Chicago, killing Antwan Carter and wounding Ronnie Bolden, according to NBC Chicago.

Dugar has long held his innocence, refusing a plea agreement that would have reduced his sentence to 11 years.

His fate seemed to be closed until his twin brother, Carl Smith, wrote him a letter in 2013 acknowledging that he had committed the murder.

The brothers and sisters were wearing the same until the eighth grade and had imitated each other for years, Chicago Tribune reported.

Their names are different after Smith got the name of his mother's daughter.

Initially, admission had little impact on Dugar's case, with a judge deciding in 2018 that Smith's confession was not reliable, according to Chicago Tribune.

Prosecutors said Smith had nothing to lose speaking on behalf of his brother, as he was already serving a 99-year prison sentence for a serious case.

However, a lawyer with the Northwestern Jury Center for Wrong Beliefs took Dugar's case to court, and the Court of Appeals in Illinois annulled the verdict in 2021 a movement that eventually led to his release.

Cook County authorities must now decide whether to bring him back to trial or drop the charges.

His lawyer Ronald Saffer told NBC News that he hoped the case should not go back to court.

“We hope that the state lawyer (Cook County) will remove the case against Kevin because he is innocent, but if they continue, we will go to court and clear him of trial”, Safer said, adding that Dugar broke out in tears while reunited with his loved ones.

You know, you'd think it's just an unfathomable joy, but the wounds caused by the wrong imprisonment are deep and there's a period of adjustment, but the first few days are very challenging. So he's enjoying his freedom, but it's hard,” he said.