He thought he would die in prison for selling $40 in crack, but he got his life back

A South Carolina man who was given a life sentence after his third strike now has a second chance at life outside of prison.

Onrae Williams was released from prison Monday after serving more than 11 years of his life sentence, counton2.com reported.

The 36-year-old Charleston man was convicted in 2007 of selling $40 of crack cocaine to a confidential informant, according to live5news.com.

He received a life sentence because of the "three-strikes laws" after he was convicted on other drug offenses, postandcourier.com reported. He was not eligible for parole because of his third conviction, having been found of two other offenses in the previous four years.

Williams began serving his life sentence in January 2007 on convictions of manufacturing/distributing crack cocaine and distributing crack in proximity of a school, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

But in March of this year, the South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Williams, wltx.com reported.

According to the S.C. Supreme Court, Williams' attorneys were ineffective because they did not explain to him prior to the trial that he would receive a life sentence in prison if convicted, postandcourier.com reported.

When his conviction was overturned and the new trial was ordered, Williams had new legal representation — attorney Mark Peper.

His new lawyer reached a plea deal for Williams to receive "a 15-year sentence with credit for time served," after pleading guilty, according to live5news.com.

That led to Williams' release from the Al Cannon Detention Center.

"This is a happy day for the Williams family, and I'm honored to have been able to negotiate his release," Peper said in a statement. "He woke up in prison every day for the last 11 years thinking he might eventually die there, but he never stopped believing in our justice system while rehabilitating himself."

Williams plans to use his story as a cautionary tale for others, counton2.com reported.

This story was originally published June 19, 2018 at 5:11 PM with the headline "He thought he would die in prison for selling $40 in crack, but he got his life back."