Richard Rosario #wrongfullyconvictedwednesday

In recognition of those who have suffered the injustice of a wrongful conviction and those devoted to their defence. #wrongfullyconvictedwednesdays tell the stories of individuals who have endured a conviction of a crime they did not commit and their path to eventual exoneration. Richard Rosario was found guilty and  imprisoned for 20 years for a murder he did not commit. The murder of George Collazo occurred on the streets of Bronx, New York June 19^th 1996.

Shortly after which, Rosario was arrested and charged. During their investigation the police failed to contact the 13 alibi witnesses that could verify that Rosario was in Florida at the time of the offence. According to Rosario’s current lawyers Chip Loewenson and Glenn Garber, Rosario’s lawyers at the time of his conviction, also failed to fully explore Rosario’s alibi witnesses. Rosario was convicted despite there being no forensic or physical evidence tying him to the murder. He lost multiple appeals. On March 23^rd 2016, a Bronx state Supreme Court Justice, Robert Torres overturned Rosario’s murder conviction. Rosario is free while prosecutors reinvestigate his 1996 case. “I’ve been in prison for 20 years for a crime I didn’t commit,” Rosario told the judge. “My family didn’t deserve this. I didn’t deserve this, and nor did the family of the victim.”