'Sing Sing' Actor's Wrongful Murder Conviction Vacated by Judge
JJ Velazquez was falsely convicted of the 1998 murder of a retired police detective. After he received clemency in 2021, he became a criminal justice reform activist and played himself in an A24 film.
Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez was falsely convicted of the 1998 murder of Albert Ward, a retired police detective, in New York City. Prosecutors said newly found DNA evidence eventually pointed to another person as the killer. At a hearing on Monday, Sept. 30, Judge Abraham Clott granted a motion filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to vacate Velazquez’s conviction and dismiss the original indictment.
