NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Gov. Bill Lee commuted Thomas Clardy's sentence, and on Tuesday, Clardy walked out of prison and into the arms of the family who never stopped standing by his side.
Just blocks from the prison, loved ones and supporters waited anxiously for the moment they could be with him again.
At noon, prison doors opened and Clardy stepped into a crowd of tears, hugs and relief. His fiancée was waiting. So were his attorneys with the Innocence Project — along with his baby girl, named Innocence.
WATCH: Thomas Clardy walks free after governor commutes his sentence
"This is the day that we know that the Lord has definitely made. And without him this wouldn't even be possible," Clardy said.
Clardy says there were moments when hope felt hard to hold onto — moments when he didn't know if freedom would ever come. But through it all, he says faith carried him forward.
"But the Lord told me to be still, and he knows right now that I'm in a race. And I thank him for this race," Clardy said.
"I thank him for this journey because without him there's no way I would be standing here today," he added.
That race for freedom began after a 2005 shooting at a Madison auto body shop left one man dead and two others hurt. Clardy was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. From the very beginning, he maintained he was innocent.
"There were a lot of times that I had to check myself to say, why are you beating yourself up about this," Clardy said.
A federal judge overturned his conviction in 2023, but that ruling was later reversed, sending Clardy back to prison last year. Then came another turn — Gov. Lee commuted his sentence, and on Tuesday, Thomas Clardy walked free on parole.
More than a year ago, Clardy had one plea.
"I ask you, Governor Lee, please know that I'm innocent. I ask that you please, please give heart to this and let me return back home to my family," he said.
On Tuesday, that plea was finally answered.
"To my family and my children, thank you. You carried this burden with me. You loved me, you prayed for me, and you gave me something to fight for," Clardy said.
Clardy is looking forward to spending time with family. His children say they are glad he is finally home. Clardy also says he would like to personally thank Governor Lee.
For Clardy and the people who stood by him, this day was about more than release — it was about reunion, resilience, and the belief that one day, he would make it home.
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