McCollum, convicted in February 2006 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, was released on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond at a hearing at Lansing’s 30th Circuit Court on Tuesday morning.

“It’s a great feeling that I have right now that I just want to totally embrace,” McCollum said.

As part of the bond, he won’t be accountable for the bond money unless he flees. He will be required to wear a GPS tracking device while living with his aunt, Sharon Nevels, as he awaits a new trial.

The Lansing State Journal reported Tuesday afternoon that Matthew Macon, who was arrested in August for a series of Lansing murders dating back to July, has confessed to the murder of LCC professor Carolyn Kronenberg.

A lieutenant with knowledge of the interrogation provided the report, though both Macon and McCollum’s attorney, as well as Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III, could not confirm there was a confession.

McCollum was granted a new trial late last month after the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office obtained new evidence that may exonerate the former Lansing resident.

After walking out of the Ingham County Jail on Tuesday, Nevels said family members camped out and greeted McCollum at Nevels’ mother’s house.

“It was one of the greatest feelings in the world to actually be in that home,” McCollum said. “There were times I had doubts, but something just told me things were going to work out and I’d finally see this day.”

McCollum now awaits the beginning of a second trial. His attorney, Hugh Clarke Jr., said there is no set timetable for the new trial but expects it to take six months to a year to complete.

“There’s just so much material we’ve yet to collect,” Clarke said.

“Certainly, we’d like to get our hands on some of the physical evidence as well.”

Among the evidence Clarke expects to receive is an LCC surveillance video and DNA evidence, which could require expert analysis.

McCollum said he will try to seek employment if permitted.

Since his conviction, McCollum has been housed at the St. Louis Correctional Facility in Gratiot County.

He has maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration.

“To be in there for a crime that I took no part in, it was really hard and it took a lot of motivation from different sources that gave me strength,” McCollum said.

While McCollum said he bears no animosity against police and prosecutors for his conviction, the ordeal left him defeated at times, he said.

“I told myself I don’t want to get my hopes up, and that was my state of mind with all of the information I was given,” McCollum said.

Throughout McCollum’s stay in prison, Nevels said the family has stood by him and endured many of the emotions McCollum felt.

“We know the type of person he is,” Nevels said. “You can’t imagine the pain you go through every single day.”