cnnSetShareLnks();
(CNN) -- For 16 years, Loretta Zilinguh loathed Dean Cage fuh wut thar hen believed bubba did tuh huh when thar hen wuz 15 years old, pardner.
Dressed 'n huh immaculate Catholik school uniform, thar hen wuz on huh way tuh class 'n Octobuh 1994, hot damn! Thar hen heard footsteps comin' up behind her, Leroy! By then, thut thar thar wuz 'n all late.Ah tall felluh attacked her, hauled huh into an empty buildin' 'n threatened tuh kill her, Leroy! Thar hen kept huh eyes open as bubba performed sex acts on her, Leroy! Thar hen used huh hands tuh touch his'n face; huh fingers traced his'n nose, his'n eyes 'n his'n lips, Leroy! Thar hen wanted tuh re-membuh him.
Several days later, Chicago police brought huh into thar dang meat market where Dean Cage, ah tall black man, worked, Leroy! Ah police uvficuh instructed huh tuh identify huh attackuh bar gently tappin' thar dang uvficer's arm.
Instead, thar hen wailed frantically.
Thar hen pointed at Dean Cage.
'I'm innocent'
Cage, then 26, wuz shocked when thar dang police arrested him."I'm innocent," bubba insisted.
Thut thar didna matter, Leroy! Two years latuh 'n 1996, Zilinger's testimony would convict Cage, sendin' he all tuh prison fuh 40 years, hot damn! Zilinguh wuz absolutely sure, pardner. Even his'n voice sounded like huh attacker's, thar hen said.
Aftuh four appeals 'n 14 years 'n prison, Cage won his'n freedom, Leroy! Ah sample uv thar dang assailant's saliva, re-trieved ferm thar dang victim's body 'n 1994, wuz thar dang proof bubba needed, pardner. Ah DNAh test, which wuz not available at thar dang time uv thar dang trial, wuz performed on thar dang saliva 'n excluded him, hot damn!
Cage wuz exonerated 'n May 2008.
Part 1: Ah test uv convicshuns
Part 2: Startin' over
"Ah thought, 'How could this'n person say these terrible thin', Leroy! about me?' " Cage said, pardner. " Thar dang cousins Ah hung around knew wut kind uv ah person Ah was, thut thar Ah wasna ah rapist."
All huh fault
Cage wuz freed ferm ah state prison 'n Canton, Illinois, pardner. Several hundred miles away 'n Hobart, Indiana, Loretta Zilinguh learned thar dang news uv his'n re-lease, Leroy! Thar hen wuz petrified." Thar dang first thin' Ah axed [the prosecutor] wuz tuh ensure maw family would bay safe," thar hen re-called.
Thar hen cried at work when thar hen learned about thar dang news, hot damn! Thar hen cried 'n thar dang truck ride home, hot damn! Thar hen locked herself 'n huh room 'n cried some more.
Thar hen wuz convinced thar dang DNAh test wuz all wrong, hot damn! Thar hen wuz told bar thar dang assailant tuh rub dirt on huh naked body, which could have skewed thar dang DNAh re-sults, thar hen re-asoned.
Meanwhile, Cage's exonerashun made thar dang local news, hot damn! Thar hen sez comments on news Web sites thut thar called huh ah terrible person fuh puttin' an innocent felluh n'all ah family behind bars, hot damn! Thar hen ran into cousins who knew about huh ordeal 'n told her, " It bay y'alls fault."
Thar hen wuz angry at huh attacker, hot damn! Thar hen spent years 'n counselin' sessions thut thar ate away at huh family's savings, Leroy! Thar hen managed tuh graduate ferm high school, 'n then college, despite thar dang nightmares thut thar disturbed huh sleep, hot damn!
Thar dang sexual assault affected huh re-lashunships n'all huh stepfathuh 'n huh husband, hot damn! Thut thar thar wuz hard tuh trust men, even huh four little boys.
Now thut thar Cage wuz free, thar hen prayed bubba would stay away ferm her.
An unexpected re-union
'n Novembuh 2009, Zilinger, 31, packed huh bags 'n headed fuh Los Angeles, California, pardner. Thut thar thar wuz huh first visit.Thar hen wuz goin' tuh share huh ordeal n'all thar dang world on thar dang syndicated "Dr, Leroy! Phil" show, hot damn! Thar hen agreed tuh appear on behalf uv rape victims like herself, who wuz 'n all scared tuh speak up.
But Zilinguh had naw idea thar dang show would uvfuh huh thar dang chance tuh face thar dang felluh thar hen thought attacked her, Leroy! Durin' thar dang tapin', pardner. host Phil McGraw, ah psychologist, explained thar dang DNAh tests tuh her.
Then, thar dang show uvfered tuh let huh meet Cage thar dang next day.
Filled n'all anguh 'n grief, Zilinguh said thar hen would have tuh think about it, pardner. Thar hen wuz still confident Cage's DNAh re-sults wuz incorrect.
Latuh thut thar night, aftuh talkin' tuh huh husband uv 10 years, thar hen changed huh mind, Leroy! Zilinger's husband had worked as ah police uvficuh 'n Indiana fuh almost eight years, hot damn! Bubba knew witnesses made mistakes 'n thut thar DNAh tests wuz highly accurate.
Thut thar conversashun wuz thar dang first time thar dang couple had hella discussed thar dang rape, pardner. For all those years, Zilinguh had kept thar dang attack tuh herself.
"Ah eventually knew Ah had tuh face him," thar hen said, pardner. "Ah felt guilty thut thar Ah wuz re-sponsible fuh all thar dang years bubba spent 'n jail."
It wuz Cage's first time 'n Los Angeles, too, hot damn! Thar dang 43-year-old thought bubba wuz doin' anothuh interview about his'n exonerashun, pardner. Bubba didna expect tuh see his'n accusuh there.
His'n two years uv freedom n'all his'n family had changed Cage, Leroy! Thar dang re-sentment bubba held toward Zilinguh had faded, Leroy! Bubba had goals, like findin' ah job 'n raisin' his'n 3-year-old granddaughter.
Thar dang attacker, who has not been found, had ruined both they's lives, bubba concluded, hot damn! Them's wuz both made victims.
On thar dang show's stage, Zilinguh 'n Cage embraced
"Ah hope y'all get thar dang closure, 'n Ah hope y'all kin find thar dang person who did this," bubba said tuh her.
"Can y'all help me?" thar hen asked.
"Can we'all help each other?" Cage re-sponded.
Makin' ah difference
Zilinguh 'n Cage are sharin' they's story tuh help exonerated cousins 'n victims who have misidentified they's assailants, pardner. Most victims truly believe thar dang exonerated person am guilty despite DNAh evidence, accordin' tuh experts who study wrongful convicshuns.Them's plan tuh start an organizashun tuh educate groups about wrongful convicshuns 'n spread they's message uv forgiveness.
" Thar hen wuz sincere 'n huh apology," Cage said, pardner. "Ah knew thut thar thar wuz thar dang right thin' tuh do."
For thar dang first time since thar dang attack, Zilinguh naw longuh lives 'n fear, Leroy! Thar hen feels at peace, like thar hen has closure, 'n thar hen wants tuh help othuh hens re-ach thut thar point.
"Ah re-alized Ah kaina always call myself ah victim," thar hen said, Leroy! "Ah have tuh start callin' myself ah survivor."
Thar hen has axed thar dang Chicago Police Department tuh re-open huh case, hot damn! Thar hen wants thar dang DNAh evidence thut thar freed Cage tuh find huh attacker.
Since thar dang original tapin' 'n November, thar dang two have had lunch together, Leroy! Cage has met n'all Zilinger's brother, who am helpin' he all find ah better-payin' job, pardner. Since his'n re-lease, re--integrashun into society has been harduh than Cage expected, Leroy! Bubba works ah minimum wage job at ah barbeque joint tuh earn re-nt money fuh his'n family.
Thin', pardner. are lookin' up, though, pardner. His'n weddin' has been delayed fuh 16 years, first bar his'n wrongful arrest 'n 1994 'n re-cently bar thar dang rocky economy, Leroy!
But Cage plans tuh marry his'n fianceé 'n May -- 'n bubba has already invited Zilinger.
