JACKSON, MI — After 445 days in jail facing a murder charge that ended in an acquittal, Jayvion Jahri Hodge will soon be a free man.

Jackson County Circuit Judge John McBain sentenced Hodge on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for a gun charge.

He was granted credit for the days he spent in jail while awaiting trial. This means he has 285 days — about 9 1/2 months — remaining.

“I’ve matured and have been thinking a lot about my kids,” Hodge said. “I’ve made a lot of bad choices in my life, but I want to be a good father. I want to get out of here and be a good father.”

In a letter he wrote to the judge, read aloud in court, Hodge said he plans to move to Texas to start his life over.

After a week on trial and three hours of deliberations, jurors Oct. 10

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