the next day hit hincapie an the rest of new york city a to a huge story. - inside the station house, an they have been through most of the day. that was the first time i found out that something had happened he claims he didn t think much of it until later tha night, 24 hours after th murder, when detectives knocke on the hincapie s door they say, well, we need t see your son, because we would like to ask him a question hincapie s mother, maria, s she asked the detective if her son needed a lawyer. they say, how old is he and i said, he just turned 18. and i told him - the police told me he doesn t need a lawyer. hincapie s father carlo says he was shocked. he says johnny was a great kid and literally an altar boy had he ever been in trouble with the law never, never, never that was about to change,
hincapie said he told the detective what he did that night. i detective didn t believe a word of it he called me a liar and he said that he had all my friends in another room, h knew what happened - and what happens he started blowing smok into my face from the cigarett that he started smoking. he slapped me in my face, he pulled my hair and he kicked me right down to the floor. what is he saying to you? and what are you saying back you tell me you didn t do this crime. so, i m assuming you were very forceful i m telling him, listen i m innocent hincapie says, that s whe the detective offered him a wa out. he just said, listen, if yo really, really want to go home all you have to do is memorize a story that i want you to - i ll have you driven hom immediately. you believed him? yes, i did. hincapie says the detective led him to believe he was witness, now the suspect so, in my mind, i m thinking,
is unjustly paying the price for the murder tha commissioner bradden say changed new york city. i had no involvement in thi crime. so, it s very, very importan to me that my name is cleared. coming up - this man admits he was one o the teens at the subway statio that night why he now says he s not a villain in the story, but victim slapped me in my face - and he kicked me right down to the floor when dateline continues non-drowsy claritin-d knocks out your worst allergy symptoms including nasal congestion, without knocking you out. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. claritin-d. ha-ha! it was me the whole time. -whoo-hoo! -[ laughs ] well done, ma am. what.did i do exactly? with snapshot from progressive, you get a personalized discount for doing exactly what you re already doing being a safe driver.
that he tried to recant hi confession almost immediately. jailhouse letters, including one letter dated two days afte his arrest telling the sam story he tells today please believe me please help me please talk to the judge, an tell him that i am telling the truth. that the detective told me t say everything is there anything else yo like to? i was just 18 years old whe this happened. the and i never had a chance i never had an opportunity t be young the moment i was arrested, not one chance as the prosecution got read to present its case, hincapie mother maria leaned on her fat as she has from the beginning. you know, we ve bee separate for 24 years. i pray to god that johnny woul be exonerated and that he we
tourist on a subway platform i manhattan. his own words sealed his fate. so you could see that was a night? yeah. anybody looking at it, it sounds like you re agreein with them, that s the story. but it wasn t a jury convicted him, and over the years, hincapie couldn t get a court to hear his case again when all my appeals wer finished, i literally got down on my knees last time and told god, i don t want to be here anymore i don t want to live and then one day, 16 year into his prison sentence, reporter heard about hincapi claim of innocence i ve got a lot of letters from prison inmates-ing thei innocence, i never believed an of him it was bill hughes. i met with johnny, i listen to him for a few hours, and didn t believe him i saw his confession, and thought he was guilty. but, i read the transcripts, i started to look into it.