'I didn't kill him': Man once charged in 11-year-old's death shares message to family
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The man once charged with fatally stabbing 11-year-old Josue Flores says he had nothing to do with the crime.
"I wasn't involved in Josue's death whatsoever," Andre Jackson told ABC13. "I didn't kill him and I want people to stop saying I'm a suspect."
Jackson, a former Marine, walked out of jail Wednesday morning after being behind bars for an entire year. The DA's office released him after DNA test results didn't tie Jackson to Josue.
"I felt like the system failed us. The system failed us. I felt like people weren't doing their jobs. I couldn't understand why they took my DNA and it took a year. I couldn't understand why prosecutors were pursuing charges against me. I couldn't understand how they had enough information to even bring me to trial. Because you know when I look at it in my mind I'm saying what makes them arrest somebody who they see around, not on the scene of a crime, not at the scene of a crime but around the scene of the crime just running away and they took me to jail," Jackson said.
RELATED: Charges dropped against Ex-Marine accused of killing Josue Flores
He told Eyewitness News that it was tough coping with being coined a child killer.
"Being a former Marine, veteran I can adapt to situations and I knew that I would be out. It was just a matter of time of waiting for a breakthrough," Jackson said. "I was waiting on someone else to turn themselves in."
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo still calls Jackson the "most likely suspect."
"We have been asked to further our investigation, continue our investigation, to see if any stones we've left unturned," Acevedo said.
Jackson expressed his condolences to Josue's family.
"I'm disturbed that the killer is still out there and our biased legal system did this to me," Jackson added. "It's horrible, crazy and terrifying what happened to Josue and I'm deeply devastated. I wish that his family would feel better."
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