and i pray to god. i say, you know, i don t wan to live. it was a crime that engulfe the city, a young touris murdered he was stabbed trying to protect his mother we had to get everyone. seven teams convicted one says he s innocent you don t have to believe me look at the facts in this case now we are doing just tha tracking down witnesses. he was shaking. he started crying revisiting evidence - the most emotional thing wa reading the letter is he telling the truth or lying to win his freedom? we are about to find out this is a perry mason moment right, she s a surprise t everyone hello, and welcome to dateline in the late 19 80s, robberies, muggings, and even murders wer a sad reality of life in new york city. then, in 1990, a tourist was stabbed while trying to protec his family the public demanded action and then got it. police made arrests and pu suspects behind bars but one of the man convicted said he wasn t there was an innocent man in jail
the wolf pack, just like hincapie, those five teens had also confessed on tape, bu they were exonerated in 2002 after dna cleared them events call johnny knew hincapie the time came for him t tell his story under oath on the witness stand, something that hincapie says his trial attorney did not to do look i want to take the stand. he told me that the district attorney s office woul basically just walk all over me, because i had confessed. have a seat he testified about how he left the station and went back down to look for his friend wh was holding his money. i gave them - with all my money. and for the first time in a courtroom, he accused police o coercing a false confessio from him they slap me my face, h grabbed me by my hair. him - he said that he even had proof
if i have a witness, i have to say that, yeah, i knew somebod had a knife, and this is what had to say to go home, the yeah, i m going to do that and that s what he did. hincapie sat in front of a video camera, and told us stor that he now says were scripted for him to an assistan district attorney. so, it was a plan you mad to get some yeah. and we are part of that plan? yes, i was. i said, okay. it s over with, it s done with i m out of here. hincapie didn t know, but h had just written his arres warrant. his confession was all polic needed - a confession he gave to them three hours after he was picke up it s not like you were in the interrogation room for hours and hours and hours. right? to me, it was a long time i was scared under the law, hincapie and the six others were equall responsible, even though onl one actually stabbed bryan
investigation. on october 6th, 2015, the day came for judge paltrow t announce his decision. some hincapie s family and friends, along with the media, file into manhattan suprem court to learn his fate. in a packed courtroom, hincapi was clearly anxious. the court is going to hande up as the judge began to rea the decision under the newly discovere evidence, the court does fin that the defense has a point the burden of proof that the court is going to set asid convictions. the judge throat hi conviction and the decision, the judg said that failed to prove that he was actually innocent, bu the judge did find tha hincapie witnesses persuasiv enough to grant him a ne trial. but that didn t mean he d walk free just yet. prosecutor eugene hurley asked the judge to send hincapie bac
one of the first things h did was reach out to the other man convicted of this crime, they were also imprisoned. i interviewed lamar alice who actually stabbed rya watkins, i interviewed fernandez, who - both said johnny was not hughes also watch the original interrogation videos, and for the first time, he saw how that other suspect tol cots that hincapie and another team we re not at the crim scene. they ll needed money? no, johnny and kevin left he was wasn t free, especially when he heard the suspects say a second time tha hincapie was not involved. so there were eight peopl surrounding no, there was six six, okay the law a team in cap ea journey never saw. the more investigated it, the more i can t believe tha he might be telling the truth.