Movies

‘Sing Sing’ actor exonerated of murder after serving more than 20 years in prison

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'Sing Sing' actor exonerated of murder after serving more than 20 years in prison

As a film enthusiast with a soft spot for stories of justice and redemption, I find myself deeply moved by the news of Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez’s exoneration. As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the world of cinema, I have come to understand that truth often transcends the boundaries of the silver screen and finds its way into our reality.

An actor once associated with “Sing Sing” prisons, who was previously believed to have committed murder, has now been exonerated by New York prosecutors following their determination that he was incorrectly convicted for killing a former policeman in the 1990s.

On Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declared that they would clear actor Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez’s murder conviction due to recently found DNA evidence, which prosecutors claimed definitively proved his innocence. Bragg commented, “For over 25 years, JJ Velazquez has been haunted by this conviction. I hope that today marks the beginning of a fresh chapter for him.

48-year-old Velazquez was found guilty in 1999 for the shooting of retired police officer Albert Ward, who was killed in 1998 during an attempted robbery at a betting parlor in Harlem. Ward attempted to stop the robbers and fired at two suspects, including Velazquez, who claimed he was on the phone with his mother in the Bronx at the time of the shooting. He was given a sentence of 25 years to life in Sing Sing Correctional Facility. In 2021, Velazquez received early release and clemency from then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The District Attorney’s office announced on Monday that they have reevaluated the case of the actor Velazquez, whose conviction they had previously upheld in 2014 and 2018. This review led them to compare DNA found on a betting slip belonging to the shooter with Velazquez’s own DNA at the request of the chief medical examiner.

The test results showed that Velazquez’s DNA did not match, or was not present, among the DNA found on the betting slip handled by the shooter. This kind of DNA comparison was not an option during Velazquez’s trial in the ’90s. (Monday’s statement explained.)

This week, the district attorney chose to attempt clearing his name, but according to Velazquez, it’s not a cause for jubilation. Instead, he expressed this situation outside the courthouse as “a condemnation of the system,” surrounded by family and wearing a black hat with the words “End of an error.

In Greg Kwedar’s drama “Sing Sing,” Velazquez joins forces with Colman Domingo and Paul Raci. The movie focuses on the Rehabilitation Through the Arts theater program for inmates at New York’s Sing Sing prison. Alongside Velazquez, former prisoners Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, Sean “Dino” Johnson, David “Dap” Giraudy, and Patrick “Preme” Griffin star as themselves. Katie Walsh, writing for the L.A. Times, applauded their powerful performances.

In his writing, Walsh stated that ‘Sing Sing’ serves as a compelling proof of human essence prevailing within an environment intentionally devoid of it.

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2024-10-01 02:31

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