ASHEVILLE (AP) — A Superior Court judge has cleared three men who pleaded guilty in a 2000 murder case, saying new evidence indicates the men were not responsible for the death of a Fairview man who was killed in his home.

Local media outlets report Judge Joseph Crosswhite ruled Wednesday that 35-year-old Damian Mills, 31-year-old Larry Williams Jr. and 50-year-old Teddy Isbell Sr. were factually innocent in the death of Walter Bowman, who was shot by intruders.

Attorneys for the men and prosecutors agreed that the defendants did not see a host of exculpatory evidence, to include DNA results and camera footage, that came to light before and after their guilty pleas.

Mills, Williams and Isbell had appealed to the court, saying they pleaded guilty based on incomplete evidence and coercion.