When you are convicted of a crime, you are considered legally guilty until and unless that conviction is overturned. There are several ways this can happen:
1. Successful Appeal: If your appeal is successful and the appellate court overturns your conviction, you would then be considered not guilty. This could happen if the court finds legal errors in your trial or new evidence emerges that proves your innocence.
2. Exoneration: This occurs when new evidence definitively proves your innocence, often through DNA testing or other scientific methods. This can happen during the appeals process or even years after your conviction.
3. Pardon: If you receive a full pardon from the appropriate authority (such as a governor or president), it may, in some cases, be treated as an acknowledgment of innocence.
4. Acquittal in a New Trial: If your appeal results in a new trial being ordered, and you are acquitted in that new trial, you would then be considered not guilty.