SHANGQIU, Henan - A convicted murderer has been declared innocent and released after languishing for about 10 years in jail - because his alleged victim returned home.

Zhao Zuohai, a 57-year-old resident of Zhaolou village in Zhecheng county, was wrongfully convicted of the murder of a fellow villager in 1999, the Henan Provincial Higher People's Court said at a press conference on Sunday.

The suspended death sentence handed down in 2002 was rescinded; and the court also said Zhao Zuohai will be compensated.