A New York man has been exonerated after spending 25 years in prison.
On Monday (December 4), New York City prosecutors vacated the murder conviction of 49-year-old Jabar Walker, per ABC News.
Walker was convicted in 1998 of murdering two men, William Santana and Ismael De La Cruz, who were found dead in a car in Harlem in May 1995. He was serving a sentence of two consecutive terms of 25 years to life in prison for the murder-for-hire case.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Monday that Walker was wrongfully convicted, noting that there was "newly discovered evidence" and how Walker didn't receive proper legal representation.
"Not only was the case against Jabar Walker built upon unreliable and recanted testimony, he did not have the benefit of an effective defense attorney -- one of the constitutional bedrocks of our criminal justice system," Bragg said in a statement. "Despite these serious issues, Mr. Walker received a sentence that could have kept him in prison for his entire life. I am thrilled he can now finally return home, and thank the Innocence Project for its steadfast advocacy throughout this matter."
Walker appeared in court on Monday in handcuffs and walked out a free man.
In a statement, Bragg said his office "agreed not to re-prosecute Walker in the interest of justice and because the case cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt."
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