In 1963, Henry Montgomery was convicted of killing Charles Hunt, an East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputy.
Henry Montgomery was a teenager the last time he was a free man. For six decades, he's been incarcerated at the Louisiana State Prison.
In 1963 at 17 years old, he was convicted of killing Charles Hunt, an East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputy.
"You can't put sorry into words, in the right words to be used in a time like this," Montgomery said. "I did all the time, but I still have to live with that decision for the rest of my life, and I want to thank [everyone] that gave me this shot, this opportunity."
Montgomery was initially sentenced to life in prison without parole. But because he was a minor, the Supreme Court later ruled that a life sentence for a juvenile offender was cruel and unusual punishment.
"Since Henry's US Supreme Court ruling in 2016, over 800 men and women across the country have been able to come home," Andrew Hundley from the Louisiana Parole Project said. "Been given second chances to rebuild their lives. "
Hundley is also a former juvenile convict who was released from prison due to the same Supreme Court ruling. Once paroled, he helped fight to free Montgomery.
"Today, Henry being home is a symbol of hope for individuals who go to prison as young people," Hundley said. "Henry coming home sends a message that their lives matter, and that they can redeem themselves, and that they are better than the worst mistakes they've ever made."
Montgomery says he will use his time on parole to pay his respects to his mom and grandmother, who died while he was in prison.
