Daniel wade moore decatur al dateline

For nearly a decade, Attorney Sherman Powell's faith in the innocence of accused murderer Daniel Wade Moore has never wavered.

"If I had had any idea that he did this horrible crime, I wouldn't represent him. It's just that simple," Powell told "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Erin Moriarty.

"I've talked to a lot of defendants," Powell continued, "but after sitting there nose-to-nose with him… there was no doubt in my mind that he was telling the truth that he did not do it. He knew nothing whatsoever about it."

Authorities see it differently; they say that Moore killed Karen Tipton, a wife and mother from Decatur, Ala.

"We're not talking about a few years of my life. We're talking about my entire life - my right to breathe. They can't do this," said Daniel Wade Moore.

Moore has always said he wanted his day in court. And he got it.

"I didn't do it. I was nowhere near that house that day when that woman was murdered," he told Moriarty.

In fact, Moore received more days in court than he'd care to count.

"Time and again you get a little bit of hope only to have the carpet jerked right out from under you," he explained. "You can only take that so many times before you learn to quit hoping."

No one would blame Moore for giving up hope - especially after his first

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