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A man who spent 34 years behind bars for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl has been freed after new DNA evidence emerged.

Lewis Fogle, from Pennsylvania, was convicted in 1982 for raping and shooting Deann Long and sentenced to life imprisonment. But he had always insisted he was innocent.

Fogle's case was championed by the Innocence Project, which pressed police to unearth old physical evidence and retest it.

Earlier this year, experts extracted sperm from public hair combings of the victim taken some 39 years ago.

The sperm was DNA tested- something that was not possible in 1982.

The test proved the sperm found on the victim was not Fogle's and prosecutors agreed to ask for the conviction to be thrown out.

But investigators are now re-examining the evidence to see if they have enough evidence to retry the 63-year-old as district attorney Patrick Dougherty still believes Fogle has some involvement in the crime.

Speaking to US news outlets, he said: "My belief is he was involved. The question is whether I can prove it."

They have until September 14 to decide to retry Fogle.

(Image: Innocence Project)

The original case contained no physical evidence against Fogle but he was convicted on the testimony of jail-house informants who told investigators he had confessed to them.

Fogle's wife, Deb, who married him just before his conviction, said she always believed he would be vindicated.

"He's my husband and I love him," she told reporters.

Speaking outside the courthouse, Fogle announced that the first thing he intended to do with his freedom was to enjoy a steak dinner that evening.