EL DORADO HILLS (CBS13) — The man newly charged in a decades-old murder case made his first court appearance in El Dorado County on Wednesday.

Michael Green’s booking photo. (credit: Placer County Sheriff’s Office)

Michael Green, 51, was arraigned in juvenile court on Wednesday because he was a minor at the time of the murder.

New DNA evidence links Green to the death of Jane Hylton, who was stabbed to death in 1985. That evidence overturned the conviction of Ricky Davis, who spent 15 years behind bars for the murder. Davis was released from custody last Thursday.

This is the only the second time genealogy DNA was used to exonerate an innocent man, by leading to the prosecution of a different suspect.

READ MORE: Placerville Hometown Newspaper Tracks Twists Of Wrongful Conviction Murder Case

The El Dorado County District Attorney made a surprise appearance at Wednesday’s hearing, saying he felt the need to be there.

“We take responsibility when the system… it’s my responsibility to right the wrong of what happened to Ricky Davis,” El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson said.

Green’s next court appearance is scheduled for March.