Reporter and thats where everything changed . Thats where everything starts up. Reporter as brian and his family headed into the 7th avenue subway station, a train pulled in unloading dozen of teenagers all headed to a n. Just mayhem. Kids a so they exit the subwa a small group of six t congregates near t subway station on th. Reporter this particular group doesnt have the money for the cover charge . Right. One guy said well grab a wallet. Reporter the group went back downstairs where brian and his family were waiting on the platform for their train. They spot the Watkins Family standing right here, then bam. They ct screaming and wholering. Mr. Watkins is grabbed, knocked do the ground and punched, slashed with a box cutter. Mrs. Watkins is hit from behind and hunched over. And kicked in the face. Someone yells, i got it, lets go. Brian watkins goes after them. One of the attackers has a knife. Reporter he realizes brian is right behind him. If youre brian, im morales. Reporter swings. Then runs up the stairs. Reporter brian was stabbed and soon collapses. Need an ambulance. Reporter within minutes the 911 calls started coming in. Brians mother ran to a pay phone frantically pleading for help. They stabbed him in the heart. Hes dying. Is he awake . No, hes not. Hes unconscious. Reporter Brian Watkins died on the way to the hospital. He was just 22 years old. They were the targets of young killers. Reporter a tourist was stabbed to death. Brian watkins. Reporter how would you describe the media reaction to this murder . Almost inducing a wave of panic. It is the terror of new york city, no one from violence. Rep the worst year of crime in the citys history. I dress for the muggers. I wear flat shoes so i can run. Reporte and most terrifying was underground. Very often our subway stations reporter 25 years ago the man responsible for policing the Transit System was bill bratton. It was a terrifying time. There is no denying that crime was out of control. Reporter bratton is widely recognized as one of the nations top cops. Hes run the Police Departments of americas two largest cities. And he served twice as new york citys Police Commissioner. But just to put it in perspective, the murders of 1990, compare that to other years. There is no comparison. 1990, 2,243, last year 333. Reporter but it was the 1,585th homicide of that year, Brian Watkins murder, that the Police Commissioner says caused everyone to pay attention. Im damn angry. Of course i am. Reporter beginning with thenmayor david dinkins. Actually, the headline around that time, dave, do something. Meaning, dave do something about the horrific crime rate and the Brian Watkins stabbing was an accelerant that was added to that whole fear. Reporter the minute you got this call, did you know this is going to be a big one, a lot of eyes, a lot of press on this one. A tornado nature of the attack. Wolf pack. Reporter wolf pack. It was a name the media had recently given to another group of five teenagers who just the year before were arrested for brutally attacking a jogger in central park. Bratton says Law Enforcement had a strategy in dealing with these socalled wolf packs. You had to get every one of them. You had to send out the message that the importance of not just arresting one or two but to get all of them. Reporter and thats exactly what police were doing in the watkins case. Within 24 hours, they had a group of teenagers in custody. But bratton says the impact of Brian Watkins murder on new york didnt end with those arrests. Well, it was a seminal case for me. It allowed us to have a Tipping Point impact. Reporter the day after the murder, bratton received a call from the Governors Office of 40 million to help fight crime. Money that would be used to hire thousands of new cops and soon the citys crime rate began to drop, as it has for the past 25 years. As for the suspects arrested in the watkins case, all would be convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years to life. But thats not even close to the end of the story. Of the seven men convicted of this crime, one says he alone is unjustly paying the price for the murder that commissioner bratton says changed new york city. I had no involvement in this crime. So its very, very important to me that my name is cleared. Coming up this man admits he was one of the teens a t the subway station that fight. Why he now says hes not a villain in this story but a victim. He slapped me in his face and he kicked me right dow if youve got a life, you gotta swiffer. Studying to be a dentist and she gave me advice. She said. My daughter is. Dadgo pro with crest prohealth. 4 out of 5 dentists confirm. These crest prohealth. Products help maintain a. Professional clean. Go pro with Crest Pro Health crest prohealth. Really brought my mouth. To the next level. Theseare heading back home. Y oil thanks to dawn, rescue workers only trust dawn, because its tough on grease yet gentle. I am home, i am home, i am home its been a quarte since the murder of bria watkins. And since then, this m johnny hinkapia has been locked up, one of the seven convic. But he insists hes in. I had no involvemenhi crime, lester. Im the only one thats claiming innocence. Reporter so what is Johnny Hincapies story . To find out, i went to speak with him at new yorks fishkill correctional facility. Hincapie took me back to the night of the crime. He had recently turned 18 and was on his way the a cantmiss event, a father roy at the rose ballroom in manhattan. There was a very popular deejay who was throwing a party for himself. And everybody just wanted to be there. Reporte he explained that he and as many as 50 other teenagers to subway, all headed to the same club. And how when the train arrived, he went upstairs to the street where he lost sight of a friend who was holding his money. He says he couldnt carry his cash because of the tight designer jeans he was wearing. It had numerous pockets on them, but you couldnt really put your hands in them. Reporter so he said he went back down into the station to look for his friend. As im going down, i start hearing some screaming. And when i got to the bottom, i see a crowd of people running toward me. Reporter did you have any idea what was happening on the platform . No. Reporter he said thats when he turned around and ran back upstairs to the street where he saw his friend. He asked me what was going on . And i told him, i have no idea but something seems to be happening over there. Lets just go to roseland. Reporter hincapie says he danced until the wee hours, got a ride home and slept in. The next day hincapie and the rest of new york city awoke to a huge story. Police lineups are still being conducted inside the station house and have been e day. That was the fist time that i found out that something had happened. Rep he claims he didnt think much of it until later that night, 24 hours after the murder when detectives knocked on the hincapies door. They say well, we need to see your son because wed like to ask him a question. Reporter hincapies mother maria said she asked detectives if her son needed a lawyer. They said how old is he . I said he just turned the 18. So they tell me he doesnt need a lawyer. The police tell me he doesnt need a lawyer. Reporter hincapies father carlo said he was shocked. Johnny w gre kid. Literally an altar boy. Had he ever been in trouble with the law before . Never, never, never. Reporter traffic ticket . Never. Reporter nothing. Never. Reporter that was about to change. Police brought the hincapies son to the precinct. What johnny didnt know was that detectives had spent the past 24 hours working the case and already had six suspects in custody who had confessed. When was the robbery first planned . At the train station. Reporter 17yearold gary morales, nicknamed rock star, admitted he was the one who fatally stabbed brian in the chest. Could you feel it entering his body . I just felt like a Reporter Police were pressing each suspect, wanting to know who else was involved. One gave hincapies name and two others agreed. But another suspect said, no, hincapie was not there. They all needed money . Reporter still, detectives wanted to find out for themselves. They placed me inside of a room. There was iv w laying down on one of the bottom bunk beds smoking a cigarette. Reporter hincapie says he told the detective exactly what he did that night, but the detective didnt believe a word of it. He called me a liar. And he said that he had all my friends in another room. He knew what happened. Reporter and then what happens . Hes blowing smoke into my face from the cigarette that hes smoking. He slapped me in my face. He pulled my hair. And he kicked me right down to the floor. Reporter what is he saying to you and what are you saying back . You tell me you didnt do this crime, so im assuming that you were very forceful in your denial. Im telling him, listen, im innocent. I just told you that i just saw it on the news for the very first time. Reporter hincapie says thats when the detective offered him a way out. He just said, listen, if you really, really want to go home, all you got to do is just memorize a story that i want you to say. Ill have you driven home immediately. R you believed him . Yes, i did. Reporter hincapi says the detective led him to believe he was a witness, not a suspect. So in my mind, im thinking if im a witness and i have to say that, yeah, i knew somebody had a knife and this is what i have to say to go home, then im going to do that. Reporter and thats what he did. Hincapie sat in front of a video camera and told a story that he now says was scripted for him to an assistant district attorney. So was it planned that all of you made to get money to go to roseland . Yeah. And were you part of that plan . Yes, i was. I said, okay, thats it. Its over with, its done with, im out of here. Reporter hincapie didnt know, but hed just written his arrest warrant. His confession was all police needed. A confession he gave to them three hours after he was picked up. Its not like you were in the Interrogation Room for hours and hours and hours. Well, to me, it was a long time. I was scared. Reporter under the law, hincapie and the six others were equally responsible even though only one actually stabbed Brian Watkins. Hincapie never went home again. And so for the past quarter century, his mother maria has made the same twohour journey every other week since her son was sent away. Its very hard because its been 24 years, 24 birthdays, 24 christmases. When she arrives, the ritual is always the same. Same room, same tables, same long wait. Finally, he appears. How is everything . How was your trip . Very nice. Reporter they say their visits are heartbreaking for both of them. How have you been able to hold up knowing this year is too many years . Dont cry, mommy. Dont cry. Reporter but maria says shes been crying out, pleading for anyone to listen since that very first day her ordeal began. I wanted to scream to the world and tell the world my son is not guilty. Please help me. Reporter little did she know help was on the way. I love you, okay . Yeah. Coming up a new witness could reveal critical information about the night of the crime, but will he talk . He was shaking. He was visibly nervous. He started cry i love you, basement guest bathroom. Your privacy makes you my number 1 place. To go number 2. I love you, but sometimes you stink. New febreze air effects with Odorclear Technology cleans. Away odors like never before. Because the things you love the most can stink. And try febreze small spaces to clean away odors for up. To 30 days. 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These areas dentists. Check most. Immediately i felt a. Difference it did an. Extremely good job of cleaning 4 out of 5 dentists confirm. These crest prohealth. Products help maintain. A professional clean. Go pro with crest prohealth my daughter inspired me. To make a change. Crest prohealth really brought my mouth to the next level. Crest healthy beautiful smiles for life. Ive been up and d throughout this whole incarceration. Reporter johnny hi serving his 24th year behind bars for the 1990 murder of a young tourist on a subway platform in his own words sealed h so you could see th a knife . Yeah. Reporter anybody l it, it sounds like you agreeing with it, that this is but it wasnt. Reporter but a jur convicted him, and over the year, hincapie couldnt get a court to hear his. When all my appeals finished, i literally on my knees, lester, and god, i dont want to be here anymore. I dont. Reporter and then one day, 16 years into his prison sentence, a reporter heard about hincapies claim of in i covered crime. I got a lot of letters Prison Inmates saying they wer. I never believed any o. Reporter it was bi met with johnny, li him for a couple hou. And i didnt believe h. I saw his confession, and i thou but i read the transcr. I started to look into reporter one of th things he did was reac the other men convicte crime who were all sti prison. I interviewed gary who actually stabbed Brian Watkins. I interviewed emiliano fernandez, wh mr. Watkins. And both admitted they involved and both said was not. Reporter hughes al the original interroga video, and, for the first time, he saw how that other suspect told cops that hincapie and another teen w and they all needed . No. Johnny and kevin l reporter hughes wa intrigued especially w heard the suspect time that hincapie was involved. So there were eight surrounding no. There were. There were six . Yeah, because the t left. A tape hincapies j saw. The more i investig the more i came to bel he might be telling me the truth. There is not a shred of forensic or physical evidence. Reporter but he confessed. He confessed not after 15 days of interrogation but after just several hours. Yeah. Like most people, you cant possibly fathom admitting you did so reporter nobody do nobody would thin capable of doing it, b truth is a skilled int could probably get youi admit we kidnapped the lindbergh. Reporter in the su 2010, hughes wrote an about hincapies story magazine called city limi i published an articl 20th anniversary of the murder. And no reporter and the y continued to pass. Lester, weve been with johnny for 24 yea. Yeah. All our family. Reporter alex is j younger brother. He was 15 when johnny was. I pray for my broth single day. We all do. Reporter like his he never believed his was guilty. It was just a shock us. Just watching my parents, what they went through, it was really heartbreaking, especially my dad going into my brothers room ki kiss thats been in my memo many years. Reporter johnny . Lester. Reporter so . No, i wouldnt call i my home is with my fam outside. Reporter how old a johnny . Im 42. Reporter youve spen than half of your life bars . Yes. Its terrible. Being separated from y family. Thats probably the wo reporter throughou incarceration, hincapi a model prisoner. Hes been involved wit inmate theater program. I dont know. Ive been tired ly reporter and he to courses offered at the which is where he met the name of bob dennis. He said, i dont know if you know anything about my case. Once he started, i said, of course, i do. Everybody know. Reporter dennison former chairman of new y states parole boa. He showed me the ar bill hughes had wr him. Reporter did he te was innocent . He did. He told me he was inno. Reporter and you r eyes, thinking yeah. No, yeah, i did. But something about johnny stuck with me. Rep so dennyson decided to reach tout. And all of a sudden, h had a former parole co and a reporter teaming reinvestigate his cas we laughingly refer ourselves at the white gumshoe squad. We were pounding aroun looking for potential reporter after nea of searching, they fou. A man who said he knew about Johnny Hincapie. We sat down in his and he was shaking. He was visibly nervous we sat at his table. And he sta and he took out a n he drew a map of the s station. He remembered as clear as if it was a. Reporter they knew witness told them, if tr a bombshell. But neither dennison n is a lawyer. So they got in touch with one, new york citys wellknown civil rights attorney, ron k they said look, we theres no money to pa but hes an innocent guy. Wo so i said yes. Reporter kubys fi was to talk with that his name is luis monte. Luis montero offere that johnny did not co crime. Coming up would the court agree . Luis montero is about harrowing story. All of a sudden, i heard a co did you see him go platform . I love you, couch. You give us comfort. And we give you bare feet. Backsweat and gordos everything. I love you, but sometimes you stink. New febreze fabric refresher with Odorclear Technology. Cleans away odors like never before. Because the things you love the most can stink. And plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up. To 45 days. Breathe happy with new febreze. The mystery of what happened on this subway platform so long ago took a new twist with a new witness named luis this is a threelevel subway montero had been in the subway station during the crime and told attorney ron kuby a story that backed up Johnny Hincapies account of the night Brian Watkins was montero establishes did johnny not