>> TWO BROTHERS SAY THEY ARE STILL WAITING FOR JUSTICE AFTER SPENDING MORE THAN 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR A CRIME THEY DIDN'T COMMIT.

IN 1994, THE BROTHERS WERE CONVICTED OF MURDER AND THEY WERE EXONERATED IN 2021.

TYLER HENDERSON SAID LAST WEEK THEY WERE TRYING TO CLOSE THIS, BUT INSTEAD, THEY WERE TOLD THEY NEEDED TO PROVE THEIR INNOCENCE IN A HEARING.

JOINING US NOW, THE BROTHERS, SHAWN, TYLER, AND THEIR ATTORNEYS.

THEY CONTACTED THE STATE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND SAID THAT THEY CANNOT COMMENT ON THE LITIGATION.

WE THANK YOU FOR JOINS US.

REGINALD HENDERSON, YOU SAID THAT HAVING TO RETURN TO THE COURTHOUSE SO MANY TIMES, IT WAS TRAUMATIZING.

>> JUST GOING BACK, WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS ONCE, TO RELIVE IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, IT'S TRAUMATIZING.

NOW, HAVING TO GO THROUGH THE MIDDLE PART OF IT, THAT IS OPENING UP THE SAME STEPS.

THE SAME STEPS THAT WE HAD TO WALK THROUGH TO JUSTIFY WHO WE ARE.

>> SHAWN, HOW ARE YOU PREPARING YOURSELF FOR THE NEXT HEARING?

>> Guest: THE PROCESS, REALLY TRYING TO GET IT IN MY HEAD THAT ALTHOUGH THE STATE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WANTS TO HAVE THE HEARING, I'M TRYING TO BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO AGAIN.

I COULD BE FOOLING MYSELF.

BUT I WANT TO HAVE FAITH IN THE SYSTEM.

>> I WOULD IMAGINE THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO TRUST THE PROCESS THAT YOU BELIEVE HAS WRONGED YOU A GREAT DEAL SINCE YOU WERE A TEENAGER.

>> IT'S HARD, NOT THAT IT'S GOING TO -- BUT YOU WANT TO BELIEVE IN IT.

AND THE STATE ATTORNEY LET US CONTINUE.

AS WE HAVE IN THE PAST 25, 27 YEARS.

>> JENNIFER, EXPLAIN TO US THE LEGAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS.

>> TYPICALLY, THE STATE SAYS YOU ARE INNOCENT OF THESE CRIMES, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT IT GIVES SOME MEASURE OF JUSTICE IN A SENSE OF GIVING COMPENSATION, IT'S PALTRY BY COMPARISON TO WHAT THESE INDIVIDUALS LOST.

BUT IT IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND IT IS IMPORTANT.

AND IT ALSO GIVES THEM SOME MONEY GET ON THEIR FEET.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT WHEN PEOPLE GET OUT OF PRISON.

THEY DON'T GET THE SAME SERVICES THAT PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN FOR CRIMES THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAVE COMMITTED AND COME OUT WHILE ON PAROLE.

AND THEREFORE THEY REALLY STRUGGLE BECAUSE GETTING JOBS, STILL, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T HAVE THE CONVICTION IN THE BACKGROUND, TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS.

AND IT GIVES THEM AFFIRMATIVE DECLARATION FROM THE STATE.

AND IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS, AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S AN OBSTACLE THAT COULD BE VERY DIFFICULT AND SHOULD BE PREVENTABLE.

LEGALLY, TO LET THEM GO, THEY SHOULD BE DECLARED INNOCENT MORE ROUTINELY.

WE STILL HAVE A HEARING TO GO TO, AND IT'S NOT OVER BY ANY STRETCH, BUT IT IS LONGER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

>> Anchor: WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK TO THE HEARING AND PAUL LEONARD, WHAT ARE THE JUSTIFICATIONS FOR INNOCENCE, EVERYONE BEING AN AUTOMATIC OUTCOME OF EXONERATION?

>> Guest: WELL, I THINK THE LAWS SAYS THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN VACATED.

AND IT SHOULD BE.

OF AND THE STATE, THE STANDARD APPLIES HERE.

SO THEY HAVE TO PROVE THESE GUYS INNOCENT AGAIN.

NORMALLY, THE STATE HAVING TO PROVE YOU GUILTY AND THIS TIME, INNOCENT.

>> CARL, IS THIS TYPICAL TO HAVE TO HAVE THE CERTIFICATE OF INNOCENCE?

>> IT'S NOT UNCOMMON.

IN OTHER INSTANCE, THAT PROCESS, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DECIDE WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO DEPOSE OR NOT, AND I DEFINITELY DON'T UNDERSTAND TO DEPOSE THE CERTIFICATE OF INNOCENCE AFTER AGREEING THAT THEY SHOULD BE EXONERATED AFTER SPENDING FIVE YEARS LOOKING AT THE EVIDENCE BEFORE THEY DECIDED TO, ON THEIR OWN MOTION, EXONERATE THEM.

HOW THEY DECIDED TO GO FROM THAT POINT, I DO NOT KNOW.

>> REGINALD, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE LAST WEEK, YOU SHOWED A PHOTO OF YOUR MOTHER WHO YOU LOST SHORTLY AFTER THAT EXONERATION IN 2021.

SO EXPLAIN HOW THIS WAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY?

>> WELL, EARLIER, WE TRIED TO GET PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HAVING BOTH OF OUR CHILDREN TAKEN AWAY FROM US.

SHE LITERALLY TOLD MY YOUNGER BROTHER, GO TO THE POLICE STATION AND SEE WHAT THE POLICE WANT, NOT KNOWING THAT 25 YEARS LATER, WE WOULD BE IN PRISON FOR THINGS THAT WE DIDN'T DO.

SO HER MENTALITY AND THE BURDEN THAT IT PUT ON JUST ONE WOMAN WHO LATER SUFFERED FROM A HEART ATTACK, BUT I LOST HER, AND IT HAS BEEN ROUGH.

WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE OUR WAY.

AND EVERYTHING THAT I CAN, AND WE CONTINUE TO TRUST IN THE PROCESS AND HOPE THAT THE CHANGES COME ABOUT, SO WE HAVE THE NECESSARY.

COMING TO YOUR HOME AT 46 AND 45, LITTLE OR NOTHING.

OUR MOTHER, SO IT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE AND WE CONTINUE.

SO WE JUST ARE LOOKING FOR CHANGE.

IT'S SIMPLY THIS.

JUST IN THIS WILL ALLOW US TO FINALLY GO TO OUR MOTHER'S GRAVESITE.

A THING THAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED HER TO HAVE.

TWO THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO.

THIS ONE, YOU WANT TO MAKE IT RIGHT.

>> SHAWN, I'M GOING TO COME BACK TO YOU IN A MINUTE, AND JENNIFER, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

>> WE DO HAVE A HEARING SCHEDULED.

AND THERE WILL BE EVIDENCE AND TESTIMONY PRESENTED MUCH LIKE ANY OTHER HEARING.

AND THE STATE WILL LIKELY, OR MAYBE NOT, WE'LL FIND OUT, TRY TO PRESENT EVIDENCE.

WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW THIS LAW SHAKES OUT.

OUR CLIENTS ARE INNOCENT AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT EVIDENCE THEY'RE GOING TO PUT ON TO SHOW OTHERWISE.

IT MAY JUST -- IT'S HARD TO KNOW AS CHARL POINTED OUT.

WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO.

SOMETIMES THEY OBJECT AND SOMETIMES THEY WANT A HEARING, AND SOMETIMES IF THEY DON'T OBJECT AND THEY AGREE.

SO IT'S NOT A LOT OF PREDICTABILITY.

BUT WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SHOW THEY'RE INNOCENT AS WE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN IT, AND SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE ALREADY PROVEN AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE HEARING NEXT MONTH, AND EVENTUALLY, WE BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO GET THIS.

>> WE REACHED OUT TO THE COUNTY AND STATE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BECAUSE IT'S IN LITIGATION.

BUT CARL, WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING AT THIS HEARING IN MAY?

>> I'M EXPECTING TO PROVE, EXCITED TO PUT ON EVIDENCE OF THE ABUSE THAT HE SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF POLICE OFFICERS.

AND PHYSICAL EVIDENCE FROM BACK THEN HOW HE WAS SPITTING UP BLOOD AND HE HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY.

AND I EXPECT TO PUT ALL OF THAT EVIDENCE ON.

AND YORE HOW THE STATE PLANS TO PUT THESE OFFICERS ON THAT THEY DID THIS, AND THAT'S THE EVIDENCE THAT WE HAVE AND THAT'S THE PLAN >> REGINALD, IF YOU ARE ABLE TO DO THIS, WHAT ARE YOU HOPING?

>> AGAIN, IT GIVES YOU A -- WHAT TOOK PLACE, BUT IT WILL GIVE YOU A START.

KIND OF PLUG IN THE HOLES.

LIKE I SAID, 46 NOW, AND WE HAVE BEEN HAVING AN ONGOING FIGHT SINCE 1994, IT'S ALMOST 30 YEARS, SO IT CAN'T DO NOTHING BUT HELP.

IT WILL JUST MAKE THINGS A LITTLE BIT MORE EASIER.

MOVING FORWARD, THAT'S T >> Anchor: SOME OF THE THINGS, LIKE GETTING A JOB.

>> Guest: ALL OF THE ABOVE.

TO BE ABLE TO AGAIN, JUST TO -- THERE ARE TWO LEVELS OF FREEDOM.

IT'S MIND BLOWING.

WHEN YOU'RE EXONERATED YOU BELIEVE YOU'RE FREE, THEY'RE TELLING ME THAT'S FOR FREE PEOPLE.

[ AUDIO DIFFICULTIES ] YOU WANT THE OTHER THREE.

I WANT TO BE FULLY FREE.

I JUST WANT TO KNOW THAT I'M FREE.

IF I'M INNOCENT, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

IT'S NOT JUST [ UNINTELLIGIBLE ] YOU WERE JUST FREE, YOU'RE FREE, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE NEIGHBORS THINKING WHEN THEY GO OUT THEY HAVE TO