Eruby Abrego, exonerated of 1999 murder he says he was tortured into confessing to, is now a free man

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An exonerated man was released from prison Wednesday after spending 23 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.

Eruby Abrego got some long-overdue hugs from his loved-ones upon being released from the Cook County Jail after being exonerated at a hearing in Cook County Criminal Court.

He was convicted of a shooting that killed Jose Garcia, 46, and Julio Lugo, 20, and was sentenced to consecutive sentences of 60 and 30 years. But that conviction was tossed based on allegations that Abrego was framed and tortured into a confession by a corrupt cop.

Disgraced Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara is accused of misconduct – including coercing false confessions and manufacturing evidence.

Dozens of other convictions linked to the now-retired Guevara have also been thrown out.

Abrego's co-defendant, Jeremiah Cain, was also exonerated. But The Exoneration Project said Cain will be sent back to Illinois Department of Corrections custody in downstate Pekin to await release there.