'Sing Sing' actor JJ Velazquez acquitted of wrongful death after nearly 24 years in prison

After spending nearly 24 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, “Sing Sing” actor John-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez has been acquitted of wrongful death charges.

Velazquez held back tears, pounded his chest and pumped his fist as he hugged friends and family after being formally cleared by a judge in a downtown Manhattan courtroom Monday morning.

Velazquez co-starred with Coleman Domingo in A24, a prison drama that follows a group of incarcerated men who find purpose in acting in theater productions. Featuring an ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors, “Sing Sing” takes place at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where Velazquez was falsely incarcerated.

Among those who showed support for Velazquez in court were “Sing Sing” star Clarence McLean, director Greg Koeder and Brent Buell, the playwright and theater instructor who plays Paul Racey in the film. Several A24 staff were also present. As Velazquez got into the elevator, the crowd cheered for him, waving Puerto Rican flags and chanting, “¡Sí se puede!”

Leaving the courthouse, Velazquez, wearing a hat that read, “End of a Error,” was mobbed by the press. After brief remarks, he sat in a nearby park for an interview with NBC's Lester Holt.

Velazquez laments not being able to be an active father in his children's lives. “I was kidnapped and enslaved by this country,” he says, detailing some of the horrors of being imprisoned. He added, “This is not a celebration. It is an indictment of the system.”

In 1998, Velazquez was wrongly convicted of murdering a retired New York police officer. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, even though he did not match the description of the suspect and confirmed an alibi through phone records.

“Dateline NBC” conducted an investigation into the Velazquez case that began in 2002 and lasted more than a decade. The resulting 2012 broadcast introduced new evidence in favor of Velazquez and sparked a review by the Manhattan District Attorney's Conviction Integrity Unit, which ultimately upheld the conviction.

Nearly a decade later, on August 17, 2021, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo granted Velázquez an executive pardon. On September 9, 2021, Velázquez was released from Sing Sing Prison after serving 23 years, eight months and seven days in prison.

In October 2022, during a criminal justice reform forum, Joe Biden apologized to Velázquez “on behalf of all of society” for his wrongful conviction. But at the time, Velazquez still had to get a travel pass from a parole officer to sit with the president. Velazquez said diversity Before the release that it would finally remove the “Scarlet Letter” placed on its chest. “It goes much deeper than discrimination. It comes down to diminishing a person's human dignity. I'm getting a piece of my dignity back,” Velazquez said.

Still, he added, “There is nothing they can do to take back the 24 years I have lost and the suffering I have suffered as a result. There's an attitude of vindication, but there's still a lot of trauma that hasn't been addressed — that the system refuses to address.” Velazquez said that while Biden's apology “hasn't changed my lifestyle,” even a simple one from the government after a wrongful conviction ” Sorry” is extremely rare.

Velazquez is a criminal justice reform activist who is a founding member of Voices From Within, an education initiative that directly addresses the crime and incarceration epidemic through the voices of incarcerated people.

He began filming “Sing Singh” less than a year after his release from the titular prison, calling the project “one of the most important things I've done in my life”. Based on a true story, the film follows John “Divine G” Whitfield (played by Domingo), a man imprisoned in Sing Sing for a crime he did not commit. He found purpose with a group of other incarcerated men through the prison's Rehabilitation Through the Arts program.

“Sing Sing” operated on a community-based financial model, meaning that every member of the cast and crew was paid the same rate, and they all shared in the film's rising success.

In a joint statement Dr diversity“Sing Sing” producers Queder, Monique Walton and Clint Bentley said Velazquez's release is “another step in her powerful journey.” A moment he will no doubt use to uplift others, and advocate for those still behind walls. Because he is who he is.

In addition to her activism, Velazquez said she hopes to do more acting. “To know that you can make money and still have fun and be surrounded by great people,” Velazquez said, “I'm doing what I'm passionate about. I always said that's what I was going to do when I was in, I actually am now. doing.”