A New York decide on Monday formally vacated the murder conviction of a person incarcerated for nearly 24 years earlier than starring within the award-winning film Sing Sing in regards to the rehabilitative results of a jail arts program.
Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez fought again tears as he hugged family and friends outdoors the Manhattan district courtroom the place he was exonerated for the 1998 homicide of a retired policeman throughout an armed theft at an unlawful playing den in Harlem.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment and have become immersed within the Rehabilitation By way of the Arts program on the New York state most safety jail in Ossining – colloquially referred to as Sing Sing, which turned the main target of director Greg Kwedar’s 2023 movie of the identical identify.
Velazquez, who was freed in September 2021 after being granted clemency by newly found DNA proof, was amongst a number of former inmates who starred within the film alongside skilled actors. It was warmly acquired on its launch this summer season, has received quite a lot of awards and has been tipped to function in subsequent 12 months’s Oscars nominations.
The 48-year-old Velazquez, who acquired a presidential apology in 2022 from Joe Biden for his wrongful conviction, has additionally turn out to be a outstanding advocate for legal justice reform. He based an academic initiative for inmates known as Voices From Inside throughout his incarceration and has acted as a motivational speaker since his launch via his social justice group, JJ4Justice.
“Who am I? I’m a really fortunate man. I’m fortunate that so many individuals believed in me,” Velasquez mentioned outdoors the courtroom on Monday, as reported by New York’s ABC7 information channel.
In a press release, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district lawyer, mentioned his workplace teamed with Velazquez’s attorneys to file the appliance to district court docket decide Abraham Clott to vacate the conviction.
“JJ Velázquez has lived within the shadow of his conviction for greater than 25 years, and I hope that at the moment brings with it a brand new chapter for him,” Bragg mentioned.
“I’m grateful to our Publish-Conviction Justice Unit (PCJU) for its dedication to impartially uncovering the info and proof on this case.”
The marketing campaign to free Velazquez gathered tempo in 2002 when a Dateline NBC investigation led by producer Dan Slepian centered on proof that the then 22-year-old was wrongly recognized as one in all two perpetrators of the lethal theft on the heart of the case.
The Manhattan district lawyer’s workplace opposed two motions by Velazquez to vacate the conviction – in 2014 and 2018 – however reopened its investigation in 2022 via its newly shaped post-conviction investigative unit.
It discovered that DNA discovered on a betting slip dealt with by the one that shot and killed the retired police detective, Albert Ward, throughout a battle was not a match to Velazquez. The testing was not obtainable on the time of his trial.
“Because the creation of the unit in 2022, we now have vacated 10 convictions via reinvestigations, and 500 extra associated to regulation enforcement members convicted of misconduct,” Bragg mentioned.
“These convictions have deep penalties for people and their family members, compromise public security, and undermine belief within the legal justice system, which is why this work is of the utmost significance to me. We’ll proceed to assessment all these instances with the thoroughness and equity they require.”
Kwedar, the Sing Sing author and co-producer, joined actor Clarence Maclin and others concerned within the film on the courthouse on Monday to help Velazquez, Selection reported.
