SAN ANTONIO – After two years in jail and two murder trials, Michael Enoch is a free man.
Enoch was released Sunday morning from the Bexar County Jail four days after a jury returned a not-guilty verdict in his murder trial.
The 35-year-old man was accused of fatally shooting Darrel Gentry, 29, in the parking lot of an East Side apartment complex the night of Oct. 12, 2016.
"I wasn't sure I heard right," Enoch said Monday about the verdict. "It's like I heard it, but I guess it didn't register. I broke down and shed some tears."
Enoch said it's been tough being in jail for two years while he awaited trial.
"It's a mental game, so if you're not mentally strong, you're gonna break at some point," he said.
Enoch said that he almost reached the breaking point during his two trials. His first trial ended in a hung jury a year ago.
"I felt like no way out. Like no matter what, whether guilty or not guilty, I was going down for it. That's how they made it seem," he said.
Enoch said that his lawyer, Robert Gebbia, kept encouraging him not to give up hope.
"If you believe in something, fight for it, fight for you innocence and what you believe in," Enoch said of Gebbia's encouraging words.
Enoch said that at some point he may pursue civil litigation in his case, but for now he will enjoy his new-found freedom.
"I'm ready to put everything behind me and just move forward," he said.