Freed, gun-owner wants to clear his name

THE RAZOR WIRE atop the prison fence glistened yesterday morning and winter's first winds whipped tears from Sue Aitken's eyes. But the foreboding walls, the frigid air and almost two years of guilt did not dampen her mood.

"I haven't woken up with a smile in a long, long time," she said, beaming with excitement as she went inside.

An hour later, her son, Brian Aitken, 27, walked out of Mid-State Correctional Facility, in Burlington County near Fort Dix, less than 24 hours after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie commuted to time-served his seven-year sentence for weapons possession.

Christie's decision followed media coverage including a Nov. 30 Daily News story that attracted national attention and drew support for Aitken in hundreds of online comments on the newspaper's website, philly.com. Aitken's attorney, Evan Nappen, said Monday that the People Paper's coverage had "played a part in freeing an innocent man."

Back at the Aitken residence in Mount Laurel, having left the prison together yesterday, mother and son shared a long, silent embrace in the driveway - just a few yards from where his life fell apart on Jan. 2, 2009.

"This is it," he said. "This is where it all began."

On that day, Aitken, an entrepreneur, media consultant and graduate student, had told his mother that his life wasn't worth living anymore after his ex-wife canceled visitation with their young son. When he left the house, Sue Aitken called the police out of concern, but hung up before they answered.

Police showed up anyway, found handguns in the trunk of his car, and Sue Aitken has grappled with her decision ever since. Although Aitken bought the weapons legally in Colorado, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison.

"Brian knows how I feel about calling 9-1-1," Sue Aitken, her voice choked with emotion, said yesterday at a kitchen table covered in Christmas cards, paperwork and a white poinsettia.

Aitken stared at his mother across the table while she grappled with the memory. He has said that he does not blame her for his arrest.

Sporting a beard and a shaggy head of hair, Aitken avoided extravagance in his first hours of freedom in four months, opting for a hot shower and a shave, a cold beer with a slice of pizza, and spending the holidays with his family.