Wrongfully Convicted Actor Exonerated After 24 Years in Prison
Jon-Adrian Velazquez’s wrongful conviction for the 1998 murder of retired NYPD detective Albert Ward was vacated on September 30, 2024, after spending over 23 years behind bars. Leaving court on that momentous Monday, Velazquez, now 48, wore a baseball cap that read, “End of an Error.”
Velazquez was arrested at age 22 and convicted alongside Derry Daniels for Ward’s killing during a Harlem gambling parlor robbery. Although Daniels admitted to the robbery, Velazquez maintained his innocence. Despite having an alibi and not matching the suspect’s description, he was convicted based on faulty evidence and prosecutorial misconduct.
After years of fighting for his freedom, Velazquez was granted clemency by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2021 and released. In 2022, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s Post-Conviction Justice Unit reinvestigated the case. New DNA analysis, unavailable at the 1999 trial, revealed that Velazquez’s DNA did not match evidence found on a betting slip handled by the suspect, “Tee,” who shot Ward. The reinvestigation concluded this evidence could have influenced the jury’s verdict, given the inconsistencies in witness descriptions and Velazquez’s alibi.
Bragg emphasized the importance of addressing wrongful convictions, noting that since the Post-Conviction Justice Unit’s creation in 2022, 10 convictions have been overturned. He emphasized how wrongful convictions compromise public trust and safety, making this work crucial to justice reform.
After a New York judge officially vacated Velazquez’s conviction on September 30 and cleared his name, Velazquez expressed gratitude, stating, “I’m lucky that so many people believed in me.” His case is also featured in the film Sing Sing, depicting his experiences as a wrongfully imprisoned man who found purpose through acting. Velazquez has long advocated for criminal justice reform and is a founding member of “Voices from Within.” The initiative addresses “the epidemic of crime and incarceration directly through the voices of incarcerated people.”
Sources: Advance Local Media, WABC
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