Man who claims innocence freed after 26 years

updated 9:37 p.m. ET April 18, 2008

CHICAGO - A man who spent 26 years in prison was freed on bond Friday while he awaits a new trial for a murder another inmate confessed to his lawyers.

Alton Logan’s family said they took up a collection in the lobby of the Cook County Criminal Courthouse and quickly came up with the $1,000 needed for his release.

A tearful Logan said he felt great leaving the courthouse surrounded by friends and family.

Two attorneys recently revealed that their former client, Andrew Wilson, admitted to committing the crime that Logan was convicted of but that attorney-client privilege kept them from coming forward.

Logan did not kill a security guard in a McDonald's restaurant in January 1982, the two lawyers said.

For nearly 26 years, they said, they kept a sealed affidavit of their client's confession to the crime in a locked box.

The attorneys came forward in January after Wilson died.

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