A New York City man who was freed after spending more than two decades in prison for a murder he did not commit is suing the city for $162 million, the Associated Press reported.
Jonathan Fleming, 52, was sentenced for the shooting death of a Brooklyn man in 1989. After spending nearly 25 years in prison, the conviction was dismissed and he was finally freed in April when prosecutors confirmed that he was in Disney World at the time of the murder.
Lawyers for Fleming said the notice of claim, filed Tuesday, is the just the beginning of Fleming's lawsuit against the city.
"I think this is the first step toward getting him what he rightfully deserves," lawyer Taylor Koss told the AP.
Fleming maintained he was on a family vacation in Orlando, Florida at the time of the murder in August 1989. He even presented proof, including plane tickets and videos, showing that he was in another state.
But prosecutors said Fleming could have boarded a plane, flown to New York to commit the murder before flying back, the AP reported. A woman also testified that she saw Fleming commit the murder. She later recanted her testimony.
Police found a hotel receipt in Fleming's pocket when he was arrested that was issued in Florida several hours before the murder. But police never told his defense lawyer. Police also never turned over a 1989 letter from Orlando authorities saying that employees at an Orlando hotel remember seeing Fleming, the AP reported.
Brooklyn prosecutors eventually found the hotel receipt and other documents proving Fleming was in Orlando.
Due to the conduct of the investigators, Fleming underwent "suffering in prison for nearly 25 years for a crime that he did not commit," according to his notice of claim obtained by the AP.
The notice of claim is to be reviewed by the city's comptroller's office. The office did not provide an immediate comment on the claim.
