The emotional meeting between a convicted killer and the woman who helped put him prison - but now believes he is innocent

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This is the heart-wrenching moment a convicted killer met the woman whose testimony as a 7-year-old child put him behind bars - and who is now campaigning for his release.

After spending her entire life convinced that Rodney Lincoln was the man who broke into her St. Louis home in 1982 to brutally murder her mother, Melissa DeBoer has now sensationally recanted what she told the court after watching a reenactment of the case on Crime Watch Daily. 

And incredibly, DeBoer is now so sure of Lincoln's innocence that she asked him for forgiveness during their emotional embrace and promised she wouldn't stop until he was free. 

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Rodney Lincoln gave Melissa DeBoer a hug after meeting her. Her testimony put him in prison for 33 years 

Lincoln was convicted of manslaughter and two counts of assault after a violent killing in Missouri in 1982

Lincoln was picked up by police and sentenced to two life terms plus 15 years following his 1983 conviction

DeBoer, her four year-old sister and their mother JoAnn Tate were attacked in their Hyde Park home and DeBoer pointed Lincoln out from photographs and then from a line up.

Lincoln, who had already served two years in prison after killing a man in a bar fight in 1973 was sentenced to two life terms plus 15 years following his conviction.

Despite always denying killing Tate and stabbing DeBoer and her sister, Melissa was confident that the right man was behind bars serving time for the horrifying home invasion.

However, after the crime was featured in an episode Crime Watch Daily in November of this year, DeBoer says she realized Lincoln was innocent.

She contacted authorities to say that she agreed with the conclusion of the show - that notorious serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells was the real culprit and she recanted her testimony.

DeBoer now believes it was Sells, who was executed in 2014 and is suspected by police of killing 22 people, was the man who attacked her family and took the life of her mother.

DeBoer recanted her testimony against Lincoln and declared that convict Tommy Lynn Sells was the killer

After the show aired and Lincoln found out that DeBoer had recanted her testimony because the show had brought back some memories she had forgotten, he almost didn't believe it was real. 

'I couldn't talk, I couldn't breathe,' he said. 

'As a matter of fact I pinched myself on the arm. It bruised up.' 

Crime Watch Daily went back to Lincoln to ask him about the new developments on December 7. 

Lincoln was asked how long he has been hoping and praying for his release.

He responded: '33 years, six month, two weeks and one day, but who's counting?'

When asked about DeBoer, he said: 'I want to give her a hug and thank her. She saved my life.' 

DeBoer (left) and her four-year-old sister (right) were attacked and their mother JoAnn Tate (top) was killed

After Crime Watch Daily surprised him by bringing DeBoer to meet him so she could ask him for forgiveness while they were face-to-face, he was able to do just that.

Lincoln told her: 'I have nothing to forgive you for.

'You are completely blameless. 

'I thank you for your courage, but you only have my love, not any anger from me. 

'I'm so sorry for you, and for losing your mom.'

Lincoln (second from right) was arrested and convicted after he was identified in a police line-up (above) 

He added: 'I've been trying for years to convince everybody I was innocent and I realize now that there's only one person that has to be convinced and she just told me that she was. 

'I think that is a gift that I never, never, never expected. That sure feels good now.'

DeBoer, the Midwest Innocence Project and other groups are still fighting for Lincoln's release.