When he was a toddler, less than two years old, Dorian Finney-Smith lost his father. Elbert Smith Jr. did not die. Instead, he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 44 years in a Virginia prison. Now, because of his former team’s help, the two will finally be re-united. Last Wednesday, in a unanimous vote, the Virginia Parole Board granted Elbert Smith Jr. his freedom with conditions.
“My whole family is in tears,” Finney-Smith told The Dallas Morning News shortly after learning of the board’s vote. “It hasn’t set in; probably won’t until I see him out.