PITTSBURGH -- After spending nearly two decades behind bars, a man from Pittsburgh's Homewood section had a rape conviction thrown out and was set free Monday.

"There was never a doubt in my mind that I would see this day," Thomas Doswell said as he walked out of Allegheny County Jail.

DNA tests cleared Doswell, 44, of raping a woman at the former Forbes Hospital in East Liberty in 1986. Attorneys asked for his release, and Judge John Zottola granted the motion Monday morning.

"It is not possible that Mr. Doswell committed the crime which he was convicted of," District Attorney Stephen Zappala said.

Doswell left the jail at about 12:30 p.m. Family members were waiting outside to greet him.

"Thank God, thank God, thank God," said Doswell's 80-year-old mother, Olivia.

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Video: Doswell Released; Family Celebrates

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Doswell was 25 when a jury found him guilty based on witness identifications. He always maintained his innocence, and his case caught the attention of the Innocence Project, a New York-based nonprofit group.

Innocence Project lawyers pushed a judge to order DNA testing, which wasn't available when Doswell was convicted years ago. Last month, test results showed Doswell could not have raped the victim.

"What happened here, obviously, was a misidentification -- not just by one person, but two," said Peter Neufeld, co-director of the Innocence Project.

Doswell's two children, ages 3 and 5 when he went to jail, are now adults. Still, Doswell said he isn't angry or bitter about his wrongful imprisonment.

"I wanted to be, and I think I had a right to be, but I couldn't walk around like that for 20 years. It would have done me more harm than good," he said.

Doswell planned to celebrate with his family at home Monday night and take his time adjusting to life as a free man.