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Three men in jail for the 1996 murder of two men, including an officer from the New York Police Department on leave, had their convictions overturned on Friday, due to information prosecutors should have turned over to their defense attorneys during the trial, but did not.
A judge has released George Bell, Gary Johnson and Rohan Bolt on their own pledge while prosecutors re-examine the case.
The men had spent more than 20 years in prison following their convictions in the December 1996 death of Ira Epstein, owner of a check cashing business, and Constable Charles Davis, who worked in the company’s safety margin at the time.
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz and defense attorneys filed a motion to quash the convictions after an investigation revealed that another man who had implicated himself and his gang comrades in the murders, as well as the Bell, Johnson and Bolt mental health records involved, have not been turned over to defense attorneys.
“Our office does not overturn convictions lightly, and it is a tragic case that has affected many lives,” Katz said in a statement. “But a fair and accurate trial depends on both prosecutors and defense lawyers who know all the evidence so that the jury can make an informed decision on the guilt or innocence of an accused.”
Katz said his office will re-examine the evidence to see if the indictments against the men should be dropped.
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