Two Paterson NJ men will be getting new trials in a murder case due to DNA evidence. The men were previously convicted of murdering an employee at a video store in Paterson and have spent the past 24 years in prison.
The suspects allegedly used a knife to stab the victim, who worked as a clerk at Victoria Video in Paterson, New Jersey.
The suspects later confessed to the killing. However, they have since claimed that they only made the confessions because they were pressured to do so by the police.
A couple of legal justice groups, the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, have been investigating the suspects case for a while and recently uncovered DNA evidence that might indicate their innocence. DNA swabs were reportedly taken from a hat that was left behind by the murderer at the scene of the killing.
According to officials, the new evidence suggests that another person may have committed the violent crime.
A Superior Court judge has now ruled that the DNA evidence raises serious questions about the earlier trial and about the suspects guilt in the homicide case. As a result, the judge has ordered that prosecutors retry the case against the suspects.
While the suspects await new trials, they will remain behind bars. However, they can secure their releases by posting $1 million bail.
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “New DNA Evidence Prompts New Trials for 2 Who Have Been Jailed Decades for Murder.”
