The state of Tennessee gave $1 million to a Tennessee man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 31 years.

Lawrence McKinney was sentenced to 115 years in prison in 1978 for rape and burglary. He was found not guilty in 2008 and released from prison in 2009. The Tennessee Department of Justice gave him $75 to start over.

“It’s been a long road for Lawrence,” said Lawrence’s attorney, Jack Lowry.

He was just acquitted by the governor.

McKinney has been on a mission to clear his name since his release. He needed a formal exoneration from the governor’s office before he could obtain the $1 million compensation, which is the maximum allowable under Tennessee law. It wasn’t simple, though.

The Tennessee Board of Parole unanimously voted not to recommend clemency for McKinney in 2016.

“After reviewing all of the evidence, the board concluded that there was no clear and persuasive proof of innocence and declined to recommend mercy in this case,” Melissa McDonald, a board spokesman, told CNN at the time.

Fortunately for McKinney, 62, and his counsel, Gov. Bill Haslam had the last say. Last December, five days before Christmas, Haslam went against the parole board’s advice and exonerated McKinney, according to Lowery.

The Tennessee Board of Claims voted 7-0 on Wednesday to award McKinney the maximum $1 million settlement. Members of the board expressed their desire to give McKinney more.

According to Lowery, the $1 million would be split into two parts, the first of which will pay toward legal bills and a car for McKinney. The remaining $647,000 will be paid out in $3,300 monthly installments.

The payout is guaranteed for a minimum of ten years, according to Lowery, and if McKinney dies, his wife, who was his pen friend while incarcerated, will continue to get the monthly annuity.

McKinney expresses his gratitude for the funds. “It benefits me since I don’t have to work as hard at my age,” he told CNN on Friday. “I had to labor so hard for nothing in prison.”

“I give God my thanks and praise,” he added. “And then there’s my preacher. He’s always stood by me, and my church has always supported me. My wife, on the other hand, has been my right hand. She has always stood at my side.”

A ‘gentleman’

McKinney’s pastor, John Hunn, and his church have worked with him for years to clear his name.

“I think he’s really struggling to get his head around what justice looks like,” Hunn added, “since he’s so used to injustice.”

Hunn told CNN that McKinney is a “humble man” who is more concerned about the time he has left in life than the amount of money he has.

Lowery concurred.

“The money side of it hasn’t piqued his curiosity,” he remarked. “He only wanted his reputation cleaned, and the incredible part was that he wasn’t upset at anyone.”

McKinney said he has no resentment toward the time he spent in prison. He claimed that God had removed all of his anger from his heart.

“If people paid attention to what I went through, they’d recognize how fortunate I was,” he remarked.

McKinney’s story, Hunn added, had a great influence on so many people and “placed a smile on people’s faces.”

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