The man is facing a 99-year prison sentence after being charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
Precopia's ordeal began when his former girlfriend claimed her home had been broken into and she had been severely attacked.
The couple had broken up years earlier, and Precopia claimed he couldn't remember the last time they had contact.
However, on the evening of September 22, 2017, he found himself in jail, facing a 99-year prison sentence.
The unnamed former girlfriend sustained injuries from the attack, including an 'X' sliced into her chest with a box cutter.
Precopia, taken to the Williamson County Jail, said he 'had no idea why everything was happening.'
His parents paid his bond, a sum of $150,000, and began fighting for his innocence.
The family paid over $340,000 in legal fees.
Precopia remained unable to apply to the US Army as a result of the charges.
Precopia has since said, "I'm ready to actually live my life, the way I want to, without having any kind of worry that this can come back and hurt me."
The selfie that saved him
Erin Precopia remembered posting a group selfie at the same time as the alleged attack.
The photo, geolocated and time-stamped, clearly shows Precopia in the foreground, along with another couple in the background.
Erin added, "Thankfully, I do log on Facebook all the time, and I check in when I go places."
On the night of the alleged attack, Precopia was with his mother, Erin, at a hotel in Northwest Austin, Texas. The hotel was 65 miles from the accuser's home, providing a sufficient alibi for Precopia.
Precopia was exonerated thanks to a selfie photo serving as evidence of his innocence.
After spending thousands of dollars and attending countless meetings with their lawyer, the Precopia family presented their evidence to the Bell County prosecutor.
Nine months after his arrest, charges were dropped 'in the interest of justice,' and Precopia was released.
Additional sworn affidavits from friends and family who were with Precopia at the time further aided his defense.
Precopia's attorney, Rick Flores, said, "It's not normally black and white. But this is one of the cases I could definitely prove he did not commit this offense."
The alleged victim had told the police their relationship was 'troubled' when they dated years earlier in high school, which could have given Precopia a clear motive for the assault.
District Attorney Henry Garza told USA Today, "We are always willing to listen and examine new information, and that's exactly what we did in this case."
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