While spending four decades behind bars, Mr. Hovland faced the daunting task of navigating the legal system to secure his freedom. Eventually, he made the difficult decision to enter an Alford Plea, a legal mechanism that allows defendants to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution has sufficient evidence to convict them. This plea resulted in his immediate release on Oct. 6, 2021, marking a new chapter in his life at the age of 62.

“When they ended it with the [plea] offer, I called my mom and asked her opinion on it,” said Mr. Hovland. “She said, ‘We know the truth. I just want you home.’ So that was the deciding factor.”

With his newfound freedom, Mr. Hovland is pursuing his passion for jewelry-making while embarking on a journey across the United States. With his newly acquired 2011 Chevy cargo van, he plans to travel to various destinations known for their gem mines, hoping to combine his love for creating jewelry with the opportunity to learn from other fellow artisans and explore different jewelry-making techniques. 

“What kept me going was my dream of eventually doing my jewelry on the road traveling,” Mr. Hovland said. “I focused on learning business and learning my jewelry, and all that. And I knew, eventually I would get out. But it kept me moving, kept me focused on the positive that was going to come from it.”

Beyond his artistic ambitions, Mr. Hovland also hopes to share his story and shed light on the flaws in the criminal legal system that have devastating consequences for innocent individuals. At the Innocence Network Conference this past April, he was able to be in community with other individuals who understood his experiences and shared in his goal to raise awareness about wrongful convictions.

“Going to the convention was a big help for me because I was able to sit down with individuals that have already been through what I’ve gone through and had been out for longer than I have,” Mr. Hovland said. “And they were able to give me guidance on what I could do in my situation and how they coped with it.”

As he rebuilds his life after wrongful conviction, Mr. Hovland’s message to others facing similar challenges is to take things slow, seek guidance from those who have been through similar experiences, and to find support in communities of understanding individuals.

“I heard a song that basically summed up my experience in words by the Foo Fighters called ‘Walk’ — that song just spoke to me because they said it all,” Mr. Hovland said. “[We have] to take those baby steps, and then learn how to walk … It’s just everyday hurdles.”