Acquitted : free (someone) from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty. Punished : inflict a penalty or sanction on (someone) as retribution for an offence, especially a transgression of a legal or moral code. Convicted : having been declared guilty of a criminal offence by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge. Released : allow or enable to escape from confinement; set free. Exonerated : (of an official body) absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing.