Sing Sing actor JJ Velazquez acquitted after wrongful conviction | American news

A New York judge on Monday formally overturned the murder conviction of a man who spent nearly 24 years in prison before starring in the award-winning film Sing Sing, about the rehabilitative effects of a prison arts program.

Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez fought back tears as he hugged friends and family outside the Manhattan borough courtroom where he was acquitted in the 1998 murder of a retired police officer during an armed robbery of an illegal gambling den in Harlem.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment and became immersed in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at New York State’s maximum security prison in Ossining – popularly known as Sing Sing, which became the focus of director’s 2023 film of the same name Greg Kwedar.

Velazquez, who was released in September 2021 after being pardoned based on newly discovered DNA evidence, was one of several former inmates who starred in the film alongside professional actors. It was warmly received upon release this summer, has won a number of awards and is tipped for a role in next year’s Oscars nominations.

Velazquez, 48, who received a presidential apology from Joe Biden in 2022 for his wrongful conviction, has also become a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform. He founded an educational initiative for prisoners called Voices From Within during his incarceration and has acted as a motivational speaker through his social justice organization, JJ4Justice, since his release.

“Who am I? I am a very happy man. I am fortunate that so many people believed in me,” Velasquez said outside the courtroom on Monday, as reported by New York news station ABC7.

In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said his office was working with Velazquez’s attorneys to petition District Court Judge Abraham Clott to overturn the conviction.

“JJ Velázquez has lived in the shadow of his conviction for more than 25 years, and I hope today brings a new chapter for him,” Bragg said.

“I am grateful to our Post-Conviction Justice Unit (PCJU) for its commitment to impartially uncovering the facts and evidence in this case.”

The campaign to free Velazquez gained momentum in 2002 when a Dateline NBC investigation led by producer Dan Slepian focused on evidence that the then 22-year-old was wrongly identified as one of two perpetrators of the deadly robbery that centered was in the case.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office opposed two motions by Velazquez to vacate the conviction in 2014 and 2018, but reopened its investigation in 2022 through the newly created Post-Conviction Investigation Unit.

It found that DNA found on a betting slip handled by the person who shot and killed retired police detective Albert Ward during a struggle was not a match to Velazquez. Testing was not available at the time of his trial.

“Since the unit’s inception in 2022, we have overturned 10 convictions through reinvestigation, and another 500 related to law enforcement members convicted of misconduct,” Bragg said.

“These convictions have profound consequences for individuals and their loved ones, endangering public safety and undermining confidence in the criminal justice system. That is why this work is of the utmost importance to me. We will continue to review these types of cases with the thoroughness and fairness they require.”

Kwedar, the writer and co-producer of Sing Sing, joined actor Clarence Maclin and others involved in the film at the courthouse on Monday to support Velazquez, Variety reported.