Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez. Photo:
Samantha Burkardt/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty
JJ Velazquez was falsely convicted of the 1998 murder of a retired police detective
A New York judge vacated the conviction of a man who served over 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit before becoming a criminal justice reform activist.
Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez was falsely convicted of the 1998 murder of Albert Ward, a retired police detective, in New York City. Prosecutors said newly found DNA evidence eventually pointed to another person as the killer. At a hearing on Monday, Sept. 30, Judge Abraham Clott granted a motion filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to vacate Velazquez’s conviction and dismiss the original indictment.
Velazquez served 23 years in prison before his sentence was commuted in 2021 by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Velazquez, who was incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, received high-profile support from Martin Sheen and Alfre Woodard, among others, and eventually received a presidential apology from Joe Biden.
Following his release from prison, Velazquez appeared as himself in the film Sing Sing, a story based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts, a theater program offered at the eponymous prison.
On hand at Monday’s hearing were Sing Sing star Clarence Maclin, director Greg Kwedar, and Brent Buell, a playwright and theater instructor who is played by Paul Raci in the movie. Velazquez held back tears during the hearing.
Colman Domingo, Velazquez’s co-star in the A24 film, tells us: “This moves me to tears. It is his commitment to his own justice that justice was finally served. It came late but it came and JJ can lovingly, joyfully, purposefully live again.”
“JJ is such an extraordinary human that advocates for others passionately and lovingly,” Domingo’s statement continued. “It was my hope with our film Sing Sing that we humanize these incarcerated men and women and tell their stories and hopefully we change the hearts of people to see them as people. There are many JJ’s still fighting for their liberation of being wrongfully convicted and serving time.”
On Jan. 27, 1998, two armed suspects robbed a gambling parlor in Harlem. Ward, the retired detective, pulled a gun and struggled with one of the armed robbers. Authorities said the suspected robber, who identified himself as “Tee,” shot and killed Ward.
After the Manhattan D.A.’s Post-Conviction Justice Unit reopened an investigation into the murder in 2022, the medical examiner’s office found that Velazquez’s DNA was not found on a betting slip that had been handled by “Tee.”
“JJ Velazquez has lived in the shadow of his conviction for more than 25 years, and I hope that today brings with it a new chapter for him,” Bragg said. “I am grateful to our Post-Conviction Justice Unit for its commitment to impartially uncovering the facts and evidence in this case.”
