2014/05/10

The New York TimesMay 6, 2014: Judge Voids Murder Convictions for 3 Half Brothers Linked to Brooklyn Detective

The decades-old murder convictions of three half brothers whose arrests were facilitated by a now discredited homicide detective were vacated in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Tuesday, as prosecutors acknowledged that the men had been deprived of fair trials because of a questionable witness.

The witness was repeatedly used by the detective, Louis Scarcella, whose work is now being investigated.

The convictions and all indictment charges were dismissed against Alvena Jennette, Robert Hill and Darryl Austin; of the three, only Mr. Hill was still in prison. Mr. Jennette was released on parole in 2007, and Mr. Austin died in prison.

“It feels so good to actually clear my name,” Mr. Hill said after his release. more