Murder case that haunted NYC detective for more than a decade takes extraordinary twist

A bombshell documentary has revealed how six men who were wrongfully convicted of execution were yet exonerated.

The injustice archetypal came to airy successful 2002 erstwhile seasoned Bronx homicide detective Bobby Addolorato told NBC Investigative Journalist Dan Slepian determination was 1 execution lawsuit that had haunted him for much than a decade.

Bouncer Markus Peterson had been changeable dormant astatine the Palladium nightclub successful Manhattan connected Thanksgiving eve successful 1990, with different wounded. It was 'Latin Night' astatine the club with much than 1,000 radical attending.

Addolorato claimed the 2 men convicted of the crime and locked up astatine New York's Sing Sing Correctional Facility, David Lemus and Olmedo Hidalgo, were successful information guiltless - and that helium knew who the existent shooter was.  

'It truly really ate astatine him and that is erstwhile I said lets marque it our story. Let maine travel you arsenic we reinvestigate this,' Slepian said. 

This infinitesimal became the springboard for a two-decade probe that went connected to exposure a further 4 wrongful condemnation cases astatine the aforesaid prison. In total, six men spent fractional their lives down bars for crimes they did not commit. 

The bonzer communicative is present being told successful afloat successful a caller four-part documentary bid called The Sing Sing Chronicles, which volition aerial this weekend. 

In an exclusive clip shared with DailyMail.com, viewers tin spot the precise infinitesimal Addolorato is heard telling a shocked Slepian astir the lawsuit that 'haunts' him.

'It's going to haunt you, without a doubt. It's going to haunt you until determination is closure. And adjacent aft determination is closure, it's inactive going to haunt you,' Addolorato said to Slepian successful the clip.

Lemus and Hidalgo had been locked up for implicit a decennary by the clip Slepian recovered retired astir the case. 

He had primitively been trailing the detective for a portion astir however homicide cops lick murders, and claimed helium 'never imagined' wherever it would lead. 

'It was hard for maine to wrapper my caput astir with if they were guiltless wherefore were they there,' helium added.

Slepian went to Sing Sing to conscionable with Lemus and Hidalgo successful 2002, wherever the 2 men were cuffed and affectional arsenic they spoke astir their incarceration. 

Lemus had been incarcerated for 11 years and 7 months astatine that point, and Hidalgo 10 years and 9 months.

'No 1 wants to unrecorded successful this cage similar I am. It is harder to judge being successful present erstwhile you cognize you didn't bash anything,' Lemus said done tears astatine the time.

Recalling the infinitesimal the blameworthy verdict had been work successful court, Hidalgo broke down and said successful Spanish that his beingness had been crushed.

From past on, the detective, with the assistance of his spouse John Schwartz, the writer and others, pushed to get the lawsuit reopened. 

Eventually the brace were exonerated successful 2005 aft astir 15 years successful prison. Lemus was retried successful 2007 but acquitted. 

Lemus told NBC News helium mostly credited his merchandise to the 2 detectives who ne'er gave up. 

Speaking of Slepian, helium said: 'He was young, anxious and green, but helium was besides hungry. So I was consenting to instrumentality my accidental with him, due to the fact that I had cipher other to instrumentality a accidental with.'

Detective Addolorato remarked that seeing them released was the item of his career. 

It was during his sojourn to the situation that Slepian archetypal met Jon-Adrian 'JJ' Velasquez, who was successful the compartment adjacent doorway to Lemus.

Velazquez had been convicted aged 22 for the 1998 execution of a retired NYPD serviceman and was serving a 25 twelvemonth sentence. 

His mother, who was visiting the jail, approached Slepian and told him her lad was guiltless and asked if helium could assistance him too. 

When helium began investigating, Slepian uncovered caller accusation but told DailyMail.com it 'took an service of radical to execute his freedom'.

The docuseries focuses connected Velazquez' agonizing travel and the peculiar enslaved the brace went connected to form.

In 2012, Velazquez was yet granted clemency and released connected parole successful 2021. But it was not until October of this twelvemonth that helium was exonerated aft his wrongful apprehension astir 27 years ago. 

New York State Supreme Court Judge Abraham Clott vacated his condemnation aft the Manhattan DA's bureau reviewed his case. 

While warring for his ain freedom, Velazquez introduced Slepian to different men helium believed were besides guiltless successful unrelated homicide cases.

These men were Eric Glisson, Johnny Hincapie and Richard Rosario, who were besides aboriginal exonerated.

Today, Velazquez is moving arsenic a manager of the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice and leads the organization's National Prison Visitation Program. 

He is simply a vocal advocator for ineligible betterment and a champion for those who person been wrongfully convicted.

Slepian was recognized arsenic a Pulitzer Prize finalist and has a podcast 'Letters from Sing Sing' for NBC News Studios. 

His 1,000 hours of archetypal footage from 2002 to contiguous time is featured successful the four-part episodes showing the gritty streets of New York, the stalwart detectives, the backmost logs of lawsuit documents spanning decades, and situation interviews.

Slepian told DailyMail.com however 'enormously grateful' helium was that the bid is airing this weekend.

'I discovered the complexities of our justness system, the powerfulness of quality resilience and the heavy interaction of wrongful condemnation connected individuals, communities and families,' helium said.  

He explained that Sing Sing Chronicles is much than conscionable a docuseries and alternatively 'a telephone to enactment for empathy, consciousness and change.'

'The bid not lone sheds airy connected the flaws wrong the strategy but besides inspires radical to spot the humanity successful those whose voices are often excessively silenced,' helium added.

The 4 episode Sing Sing Chronicles series, produced by NBC News studios, volition aerial connected Saturday and Sunday astatine 9pm.