Conviction Integrity Unit
AFTER EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATIONS, DA KATZ MOVES TO VACATE THREE WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz filed motions today with defense attorneys to vacate three wrongful convictions. In each case, new evidence came to light: In the case of Earl Walters, fingerprint evidence implicates other men in the 1992 abductions and robberies of two women for which Walters served 20 years in prison. A review of…
AFTER EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATIONS, DA KATZ CONSENTS TO VACATING WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz today filed motions with defense attorneys to vacate two wrongful convictions. In both cases, new evidence came to light: In Capers, the physical evidence indicated one gun was fired and eyewitness testimony singles out Kevin McClinton as the lone shooter. McClinton, who is solely culpable for the crime, is…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MOVES TO DISMISS 60 CASES THAT RELIED ON CONVICTED NYPD DETECTIVES
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz will ask the Court today to vacate the cases of 60 defendants which were based on the police work of three former New York City Police Department detectives who were later convicted of various crimes. This motion is being filed jointly with defense attorneys who earlier this year raised…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY FILES JOINT MOTION TO VACATE CONVICTION CITING IMPROPER DISCRIMINATION DURING JURY SELECTION
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz and defense counsel at the law firm Covington & Burling, LLP today filed a joint motion to vacate the conviction of Lawrence Scott based on evidence of improper discrimination during jury selection. A jury found Mr. Scott guilty of robbery at a 1995 trial, but today the Honorable Michelle…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO FILE JOINT MOTION WITH DEFENSE TO VACATE CONVICTION IN MURDER & ATTEMPTED MURDER CASE AND RELEASE A MAN INCARCERATED FOR 32 YEARS
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that she will file a joint motion with the defense to vacate the conviction of Carlton Roman, who has been incarcerated for 32 years for the murder of Lloyd Witter and attempted murder of Jomo Kenyatta. This motion is based on newly discovered witnesses and evidence which…
STATEMENT BY QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ AND PEOPLE’S DISMISSAL MOTION – BELL, BOLT & JOHNSON
Today, my office moved to dismiss indictments against George Bell, Gary Johnson and Rohan Bolt, who were convicted of the December 21, 1996, murders of Ira “Mike” Epstein and NYPD Police Officer Charles Davis during a robbery attempt of Mr. Epstein’s check cashing business. This follows a thorough, three-month investigation by Executive Assistant District Attorney…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MOVES TO DISMISS CHARGES IN 1996 DOUBLE MURDER CASE
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that her office will move to dismiss charges against George Bell, Gary Johnson, and Rohan Bolt, who were convicted of the December 21, 1996, murders of Ira “Mike” Epstein and NYPD Police Officer Charles Davis during a robbery attempt of Mr. Epstein’s check cashing business. DA Katz…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY FILES JOINT MOTION WITH DEFENSE TO VACATE CONVICTIONS IN 1996 DOUBLE MURDER CASE BASED ON FAILURE TO DISCLOSE EXCULPATORY EVIDENCE
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced the filing of a joint motion with defense counsel to vacate the convictions of George Bell, Gary Johnson, and Rohan Bolt, who were convicted of the December 21, 1996, murders of Ira “Mike” Epstein and NYPD Police Officer Charles Davis in the course of robbing Mr. Epstein’s…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ FILES JOINT MOTION WITH DEFENSE TO VACATE MURDER CONVICTION AND RELEASE A MAN INCARCERATED FOR NEARLY 26 YEARS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that she has filed a joint motion with the defense to vacate the murder conviction of Ernest “Jaythan” Kendrick, who has been incarcerated for nearly 26 years. This motion is based on newly discovered witnesses and the results of agreed-upon DNA analysis, which contradict significant aspects of the…
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MELINDA KATZ INTRODUCES THE OFFICE’S CONVICTION INTEGRITY UNIT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that the new Conviction Integrity Unit she established on January 1, 2020, has been actively working to make sure that no one has been wrongfully convicted of a crime in Queens County. This Unit is the District Attorney’s signature initiative and one of the first promises she made…
