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A man was convicted on Monday of killing a woman who was running near his home in New York City in a case that raised urban fears, helped change the state's rules regarding drug abuse. DNA investigation and raised questions about racial and police procedures.
A video of the news channel showed Karina Vetrano's relatives under the applause of a Queens jury in Chanel Lewis' new trial, convicting him for murder and sexual abuse upon Vetrano's death in 2016 A previous trial ended with a jury suspended in November; the second jury only deliberated for five hours and spent the night deliberating.
"Jubilation: Justice, justice has been done," the father of the victim, Phil Vetrano, told the press when he left the court.
Lewis must be sentenced on April 17 and risk life imprisonment.
Lewis's lawyers, the Legal Aid Society, described the result as "denial of full justice". They had unsuccessfully tried a hearing on Monday after receiving an anonymous letter stating that the police had sued two white suspects before taking DNA samples from hundreds of black men – in what the defense called a "racial strikes" – and focus on Lewis.
"Our client has not benefited from a fair trial," said the Legal Aid Society, adding that she would appeal.
The New York Police Department said in a statement that the anonymous letter was "strewn with lies and inaccuracies", that the investigation was laborious and that "the evidence clearly shows that Chanel Lewis is responsible for his death".
The Queens County Deputy Chief Attorney, John Ryan, called the case "horrible".
Phil Vetrano found the body of his 30-year-old daughter, sexually abused and strangled, in August 2016 in a park where they often ran together.
The attack redoubled the mistrust of women who run alone and confused the investigators for a while. Lewis, 22, was arrested six months later.
Authorities said his DNA was found on Vetrano's neck and mobile phone and in a DNA mix under his fingernails. His own phone contained photos uploaded from the crime scene and was looking for information on the case, the police said.
And Lewis filmed a confession, saying that he was angry at someone else – one of his neighbors who played loud music – and that he had it. lost "when he saw Vetrano.
"One thing led to another," he said in his confession. "Hit her and stuff like that."
Lewis said that he had strangled Vetrano but had not sexually assaulted him.
Lewis' defense stated that the DNA evidence had not been collected correctly and that the confession had been forced and did not correspond to Vetrano's injuries or other facts.
Prior to Lewis's arrest, the investigation had prompted police prosecutors to seek the state's permission to use a technique known as the search for family DNA – looking for people similar enough to maintain a close relationship with the one who left the DNA at the crime scene, hoping to lead a suspect.
The State Forensic Science Commission finally agreed in June 2017 to allow the search for family DNA in cases of murder, rape and others. The decision was made despite the objections of civil liberties advocates, who said the practice deters law-abiding people in investigations because of their family ties.
By the time the commission gave its approval, Lewis had already been arrested.
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