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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
DA News | Fall 2023 Page 1
FROM THE OFFICE OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY MIRIAM E. ROCAH

Message from DA Rocah

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah and her Conviction Review Unit,
with the Innocence Project, announced on Sept. 5 the exoneration of Leonard Mack,
who served more than seven years in a New York prison for a 1975 rape in Greenburgh
that he did not commit.

This is the longest wrongful conviction in U.S. history known to the Innocence Project
to be overturned by DNA evidence.

Overturned by DNA Evidence

The Conviction Review Unit’s investigation included new DNA hit that
led investigators to a registered sex offender who then confessed to
the 1975 rape in Greenburgh

“We were able to prove Mr. Mack’s innocence, in large part, due to our independent
Conviction Review Unit’s commitment and Mr. Mack’s unwavering strength fighting to
clear his name for almost 50 years,” DA Rocah said. “This exoneration confirms that
wrongful convictions are not only harmful to the wrongly convicted but also make us all
less safe.”

DA Rocah, the CRU and attorneys representing Mr. Mack from the Innocence Project
appeared before New York State Supreme Court Judge Anne E. Minihan, who
overturned the conviction of Mr. Mack, who was accused on May 22, 1975 of forcing
two high school students at gunpoint into the woods and tying up, gagging and
blindfolding them before raping one of the girls twice, and attempting to sexually
assault the other.

Susan Friedman, the Innocence Project’s attorney for Mr. Mack said, “Mr. Mack has
lived with the stigma of this wrongful conviction for nearly five decades. His courage
and determination are why we now have indisputable scientific evidence that proves he
is innocent. Mr. Mack’s case had many of the hallmarks of a wrongful conviction,
including multiple witness misidentifications. We are grateful that the Westchester
County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit investigated Mr. Mack’s case and
reached similar conclusions.”

The CRU investigation was conducted by Bureau Chief Anastasia Heeger, Assistant
District Attorney Charity Brady and Criminal Investigator James Menton.
Longest Wrongful Conviction in U.S. History

Leonard Mack appeared in Westchester County Court with his attorneys from the Innocence Project, joined by
Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah and the DA’s Office’s Conviction Review Unit, when his
conviction was vacated on Sept. 5, his 72nd birthday.

In this issue, we are proud to
share the many ways the
prosecutors and staff in my
office work hard every day on
behalf of the people of
Westchester County.

From holding accountable violent
offenders, sex offenders and
those who abuse their positions
of authority, to ensuring
conviction integrity…

From looking after our seniors
who are increasingly becoming
targets of scams, to supporting
our law enforcement partners on
community outreach efforts
related to hate- and biasmotivated
crimes and incidents…

We are committed in our work
inside and outside the courtroom
to seek a fair and more equitable
justice system for everyone.

NOTABLE CASES

Alexis Rose was sentenced on Aug. 15 to 25 years to life in state prison for the 2021 Yonkers murder of Pennsylvania resident Shaun Hutchinson, a former partner of his ex-girlfriend. The defendant, in violation of an order of protection, showed up at his ex-girlfriend’s Yonkers home unannounced while the victim, the father of her child, was leaving. Following a verbal altercation with his ex-girlfriend, the defendant removed a 9mm semi-automatic gun from his waistband and shot the victim multiple times before fleeing.

Following his arrest, police recovered an empty box of ammunition, packages and invoices for 9mm firearm parts, gun cleaning kits, and gun paraphernalia from the defendant’s home. The investigation also determined that, prior to the murder, the defendant’s escalating conduct involved calling and texting his ex-girlfriend from several different phone numbers,in violation of an order of protection.

DA Rocah said: “The intersection of domestic violence and gun violence can have devastating consequences. Not only did a victim have his life taken from him, but the defendant’s obsessive control and psychological manipulation will cause lasting trauma to the woman who witnessed this cold-blooded murder of her child’s father.”