Following reinvestigations that revealed their convictions were founded on shaky witness testimony, two men who had each served decades in prison for separate murders in New York City were declared innocent.
Wayne Gardine, 49, was released from prison last year after being found guilty of murder in 1994. However, he was also charged with breaking immigration laws when he was a juvenile. He is currently being held in immigration detention and might be sent back to his home country of Jamaica.
- Advertisement -
Robert Mickens was shot almost a dozen times before he died, and Gardine was 20 years old when he was taken into custody.
After a reinvestigation by the district attorney’s office and the Legal Aid Society revealed that the lone eyewitness, who gave testimony during the trial, had blamed the killing on Gardine in order to appease his own drug boss, who was friendly with the victim, the conviction was overturned.
In a statement, district attorney Alvin Bragg stated, “Unjust convictions are the height of injustice and while we can never completely undo the pain he has experienced, I hope this is the first step in allowing Gardine to rebuild his life and reunite with his loved ones.”
After 29 years in prison, Gardine was granted release last year. However, he is currently being held in immigration detention in upstate New York and may be deported.
Lou Fox, Gardine’s Legal Aid Society counsel, stated that Gardine ought to be freed as he disputes having entered the nation unlawfully.
Fox noted in a statement, “We are elated that Mr. Gardine will finally have his name cleared of this conviction that has haunted him for nearly three decades, yet he is still not a free man and faces additional and unwarranted punishment if deported.”
Jabar Walker, 49, who was convicted as well, was freed when he was found not guilty of two murders in 1995. For the crime, he was serving a 25-year to life sentence.
At the age of 20, Walker—who was defended by the Innocence Project—was taken into custody in connection with the shooting murders of William Santana Guzman and Ismael De La Cruz.
Walker’s case was reopened when it was discovered that police had coerced a witness to implicate Walker by threatening to prosecute him with the shootings if he did not comply. Subsequently, the witness denied ever testifying. Jabar Walker, 49, who was convicted as well, was freed when he was found not guilty of two murders in 1995. For the crime, he was serving a 25-year to life sentence.
At the age of 20, Walker—who was defended by the Innocence Project—was taken into custody in connection with the shooting murders of William Santana Guzman and Ismael De La Cruz.
Walker’s case was reopened when it was discovered that police had coerced a witness to implicate Walker by threatening to prosecute him with the shootings if he did not comply. Subsequently, the witness denied ever testifying.
According to the Innocence Project, Walker’s defense team was unaware that a different witness, who claimed to have witnessed the shootings, had benefited financially from the district attorney’s office.
“Mr.Walker received a sentence that could have kept him in prison for his entire life,” District Attorney Bragg noted. “I am thrilled that he can now finally return home and thank the Innocence Project for its steadfast advocacy throughout this matter.”
Walker recently appeared in court in Manhattan while wearing handcuffs, but he departed free. According to the New York Times, as Justice Miriam R. Best overturned his conviction, Walker reportedly mouthed the words “I made it” in silence.
The two crimes occurred in Harlem, eight blocks apart, and both convictions were overturned when defense attorneys collaborated with the conviction review section of the Manhattan district attorney’s office to exonerate the men.
