Georgia court frees man sentenced to 10 years for teenage oral sex

FORSYTH, Ga. -- A former high school football star given 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with another teenager was freed Friday by Georgia's highest court, which ruled that his sentence amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

Genarlow Wilson spent two years behind bars in the case that led to widespread protests of racism and heavy handed justice.

"I was in total disbelief," Wilson told reporters outside the prison. "I'm finally happy to see we've got justice now."

Wilson, 21, also said he wants to help other teens and offered some advice: "They should be very hesitant before they join certain crowds and make certain decisions."

In its 4-3 decision, the Georgia Supreme Court noted that state lawmakers had scrapped the law that required a minimum 10-year prison term.

That change, the court said, represented "a seismic shift in the legislature's view of the gravity of oral sex between two willing teenage participants."

The justices also said Wilson's sentence made "no measurable contribution to acceptable goals of punishment," and his crime did not rise to the "level of adults who prey on children."

After he was imprisoned, Wilson became the subject of prominent editorials and national news broadcasts. His sentence was denounced even by members of the jury that convicted him and the author of the 1995 law that put him in prison.

Supporters, including former president Jimmy Carter, said the case raised troubling questions about race and the justice system. Wilson and the girl are both black.

Wilson, a former honor student and homecoming king, was convicted of aggravated child molestation after he was videotaped having oral sex with a 15-year-old girl at a 2003 New Year's Eve party in a hotel room. He was 17 at the time.

Wilson was acquitted of raping another 17-year-old girl at the party.

State Attorney General Thurbert Baker said he hopes Friday's ruling puts "an end to this issue as a matter of contention in the hearts and minds of concerned Georgians and others across the country who have taken such a strong interest in this case."

The man who prosecuted Wilson, Douglas County District Attorney David McDade, said he disagreed with the decision, but he respects the court "as the final arbiter."