I was wrongly imprisoned for 22 years for a murder I didn't commit - and it was a blessing in disguise

A man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 22 years for a murder he didn't commit says the ordeal helped him get his life on track.

Calvin Buari, 53, was formerly a crack cocaine dealer in the Bronx - describing himself as young, flashy and foolish. But on September 10, 1992, the murder of two brothers would land him in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

Buari originally kept up with his dealer lifestyle in prison, until he realized that he needed to change his life if he wanted to be exonerated and stay out of jail.

Buari told CNN : 'Going to prison saved my life. It had the butterfly effect on me. Before I went to prison, I was like the caterpillar.

Then, when I was in prison, I had to transform my life and try to do more productive things. I had to see the potential in myself. That was my cocoon phase. And now that I'm out, I feel like I'm in the butterfly phase.'

Buari's drug-dealing days began shortly after dropping out of school in 10th grade to help his mom, who was a single parent, with bills.

The young man's desire for a pair of Air Jordan's his mom couldn't afford solidified his decision to get into the business - he got the Jordan's he wanted along two BMWs, Rolex watches, chains and designer clothes.

But this decision would have consequences. His rivals allegedly took the opportunity to pin the murder of brothers Elijah and Salhaddin Harris on him so they could take over his turf.

The brothers were near the corner of East 213th Street and Bronxwood Avenue when they were gunned down - the same block where Buari dealed.

The young man was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, after turning down a plea deal which would've given him a three-year sentence.

When Buari decided to change his life in prison, he reached out to activists and lawyers involved in wrongful conviction cases.

The widespread access to the internet gave him the opportunity to earn his general equivalency diploma in 2007 and take courses in criminal law.

It wouldn't be until 2017 that his conviction would be overturned after three witnesses stepped forward - including one who said she was with Buari down the street when they heard the gunshots.

She apparently hadn't known he was arrested until seeing a news story on the case years later.

'Every time I pulled up at that prison that I just left, it was a reminder that I need to be on the righteous path. Because if I did not, what was waiting for me was that very prison,' Buari told CNN.

Since being released, Buari has carried his entrepreneurial spirit into creating the rideshare company Ryderz Van Service - that takes relatives to visit inmates at prisons in New Jersey and New York.

Buari also invests in real estate in both New York and Texas - owning a million-dollar home in a Houston suburb, CNN reported.

The businessman settled with New York City in 2021 for $4million after suing the city and several law enforcement officials. In 2020, he received a $3.75million settlement from New York State, according to Buari's attorney Oscar Michelen.

Buari said he's convinced if he hasn't been arrested on that fateful day in 1992, he'd most likely be dead on the streets.