Two men from Paterson, New Jersey had their earlier convictions thrown out and will be receiving new trials in a murder case. The ruling was issued because of new DNA evidence that has come to light.
The two suspects were convicted more than two decades ago for allegedly killing a video store worker in Paterson, NJ. They have spent 24 years behind bars for the crime.
According to Passaic County prosecutors, one of the suspects used a knife to repeatedly stab the victim at Victoria Video in Paterson, NJ.
The suspects were later questioned by police and confessed to the homicide. However, they later recanted their confessions and said that police officers pressured them to make the statements.
Two legal justice groups, the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, investigated the suspects’ case and eventually found DNA evidence that could prove their innocence. DNA swabs were taken from a hat left at the scene of the murder.
According to authorities, the new evidence could prove that someone else actually committed the violent homicide.
For further information about this case, go to the NJ.com article, “New DNA Evidence Prompts New Trials for 2 Who Have Been Jailed Decades for Murder.”