A 21-year-old man freed from custody for a murder he committed at the age of 11 has apologised to the victim's family, with help from Oprah Winfrey.Nathaniel Abraham, who lives in Bay City, travelled to Chicago with the intent of appearing on Winfrey's TV show on Wednesday. But the taping was cancelled at his lawyer's request.

Hours before the planned taping, Abraham met in Winfrey's private office with the family of murder victim Ronnie Greene Jr., 18, whom Abraham shot with a rifle in 1997.

Abraham lawyer Daniel Bagdade watched the exchange and said Winfrey "kind of mediated the apology".

"It was very riveting. Nate's story was not on camera today. We ended up doing the apology in Oprah's office. It was incredible. It was absolutely incredible," Bagdade told The Detroit News.

Winfrey's Harpo Production Co. said Bagdade revoked Abraham's consent to appear on Winfrey's show.

Abraham was 13 when an Oakland County jury convicted him of second-degree murder. He finished serving his juvenile sentence last month.