JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- He was arrested at 19 on charges of rape and murder, convicted at 22 and sentenced to prison for life plus 15 years.

Now 33, Chad Heins is a free man after new DNA evidence convinced a judge to overturn his conviction and the state attorney to drop the charges that he repeatedly stabbed his sister-in-law in a Mayport apartment they shared in 1994 while his brother was at sea in the Navy.

Wednesday morning, as he prepared to board a plane and fly home to be reunited with his family in Wisconsin, Heins said he doesn't hold a grudge for his time behind bars -- he just wants to move on with his life.

After spending nearly 14 years in various jails and prisons, the past 24 hours have been a blur for Heins. While his conviction was overturned a year ago, he didn't know until five minutes before a hearing Tuesday that he found out he would be set free.

"They've been giving me the runaround for so long," Heins said. "I didn't know what would happen for sure."

Heins always maintained his innocence and said he had the support of his family -- even his brother, the victim's husband. But he said he began to lose hope that he would ever be cleared when he contacted The Innocence Project, which took on his case in 2001.

"I gave up because the penal system wasn't working for me," Heins said. "If it wasn't for The Innocence Project, I probably would still be in prison."

Eventually, new DNA testing showed semen and hair evidence at the scene belonged to someone other than Heins.

"I don't hold a grudge. I don't hold grudges against no one," Heins said. "It took a while, but most people spend 20 to 25 years before they get out. I only spent 14."

Defense lawyer Robert Link said that so much has changed since 1994 that he's got a lot to learn.

"It took me 30 minutes to figure out the shower," Heins said on Wednesday. "The coffee pot -- that was another thing. I never figured out the alarm clock, but I didn't fall asleep so, I didn't need it."

Approaching the security checkpoint at Jacksonville International Airport -- another of the thousands of new things he'll face in his new life -- heading for a flight to Wisconsin, Heins admitted he doesn't know what will happen next.

"I don't know how long it's going to take me to adapt back to the free world," Heins said. "I don't know. I'll take one day at a time."

Heins said that rekindling his relationships with his mother, father, and two children -- one of which he's never seen -- will be his top priority.