A man who had served nearly 17 years of a prison sentence of life without parole for the death of a Tulsa, Oklahoma, lounge owner was released from prison Thursday after testing on evidence from the crime scene failed to find his DNA.

Willard O'Neal of Tulsa was released hours after pleading no contest to second-degree murder and being sentenced to time served under an agreement with prosecutors. He had been convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal 2001 shooting of Bruce Chamberlain outside the Trapeze Lounge.

When asked how he felt about his first breath of freedom, O'Neal said: "It's ha...