New York State Supreme Court Justice Stephen Knopf this morning ordered a hearing to assess the impact of newly discovered DNA evidence that appears to exonerate LAS client Michael Robinson, who has served 26 years of incarceration for a 1993 murder conviction.

“The record in this case – the case-altering, exonerating DNA evidence, the unreliability of the sole identifying witness, and Mr. Robinson’s compelling alibi – entirely undermines the foundation of the original 1993 conviction,” said Harold Ferguson, Staff Attorney with the Criminal Appeals Bureau at The Legal Aid Society.

“While we wish that the Court had granted our vacatur motion outright this morning, we are looking forward to a hearing that we believe will show beyond doubt that Mr. Robinson is completely innocent of this crime,” he continued.

Learn more about The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Appeals work.