MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — Tuesday marked a day 31 years in the marking for Robert George, who celebrated his release from prison.

Convicted of manslaughter in 1994, George was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in the fatal shooting of Mary Dale.

Dale’s mother wrote her support for George’s release in an affidavit. She stated the death of her daughter was an accident, and that George does not pose a threat to the community.

George, who is now 85 years old, is excited about spending the rest of his years with his family and friends in Florida.

“I have a lot of grandchildren,” George told our sister station CBS 42. “And I want to meet all of them.”

Questions still remain about why George served such a long sentence for manslaughter.

George was up for parole in 2022 but was denied. Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman said it is difficult to get a second chance from the state pardons and paroles board.

“No matter how you’ve changed your life, the likelihood is that they’re gonna say ‘No, go back’,” Siegelman said.

George’s attorney Lauren Faraino says inmates should be granted more hope that their years of reform could see them out of prisons. Faraino said low parole rates and long sentences cause inmates to give up completely.

“We all want to live in a safe society, and we need to ask ourselves how we’re going to get there,” Faraino said. “To me, the reforms that make the most sense are those that help people who are inside of the prison learn a better way.”

George reunited with his family at a Hampton Inn just down the road from the correctional facility. He says that his faith helped him keep hope while serving his time.

“I can tell everybody, that man up there, I call on him day and night,” George said. “He told me to hold on.”

He also added that some of his former fellow inmates have served longer than he has and deserved to be reunited with their families too.