Indiana County man wrongfully convicted of murder adjusting to life outside prison walls

INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. — Although he’s out of prison after serving 34 years for a murder that he didn't commit, Indiana County resident Lewis Fogle said that, at times, he doesn't feel free.

Fogle's one-bedroom apartment in Indiana almost resembles the only place he knew for more than three decades -- the inside of his prison cell.

"I'm restricted to where I walk. I'd like to get out more, but I can't do that too much. I try to find ways to take up my time so I'm not thinking about things," Fogle told Channel 11's Melanie Gillespie.

Since his conviction for rape and murder was overturned in October 2015, Fogle said he is adjusting. He said he doesn't know how to use the computer in his apartment, and he had difficulty setting his clock.

Fogle doesn't have a car and can't find anyone willing to give him a job. He told Gillespie that the freedom he fought for isn't always liberating.

"I was getting panic attacks in the mall," Fogle said. "They would holler over the microphone and I would just stop dead in a cold sweat. It was like I'm waking up from a nightmare and I'm back in prison again."

Fogle said his biggest fear outside prison is being sent back.

He told Gillespie about his most recent encounter with a police officer when he got lost on his way back to his apartment.

"(The officer) pulled somebody over. He got done with that guy, and I'm glad he pulled out instead of getting out of the car. If he would have gotten out of the car I probably would have run. I'm scared to death of them," he said. "I keep looking for them to set me up again. I just try to keep my guard up."

Fogle admitted that he often feels trapped and gets scared around large groups of people.

Still, that hasn't stopped him from telling his story. He's going to college campuses, including Indiana University of Pennsylvania, to share his story of injustice.

"They gave me attorneys they could control in order to keep allegations and evidence off the record that would have proved my innocence,” he said.

Fogle has found release in the stroke of a brush. Painting is an activity that he enjoyed before he went to prison, and he continued while behind bars.

The family who stood beside him when he was exonerated is more of a memory now. Fogle said he lost contact with his wife, but he's building a relationship with his son and his son's family.

"Every relationship I knew back then, I don't even recognize anymore. I don't know who they are until they tell me who they are,” he said.

He admitted that he doesn't know what's next for him, but for now he's taking it day by day. He's also giving back to the Innocence Project, which helped set him free.

"I got to the point where playing around with the law is actually a part of me now. I find that very hard to shake,” Fogle said.

CLICK HERE for more information on the Innocence Project, an organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals.

Cox Media Group