‘Sing Sing’ Actor JJ Velazquez Exonerated After 23 Years in Prison on Wrongful Murder Conviction

Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, who recently appeared in the movie Sing Sing, had his conviction overturned Monday, after being wrongfully imprisoned for murder for decades. 

Velazquez, now 48, was convicted by trial in 1999 of shooting and killing a retired police officer, Albert Ward, amidst the robbery of a gambling parlor in Harlem. He served more than 23 years in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility but was released in 2021 after he had his sentence commuted by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

After leaving prison, Velazquez has continued to fight for his own exoneration and criminal justice reform. He met in 2022 with President Biden, who apologized for his wrongful conviction. In the A24 film Sing Sing, starring Colman Domingo, Velazquez plays a version of himself as a participant in the prison’s theater program. 

“We’ve had the deep honor and privilege of working with Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez on the set of Sing Sing and on the road promoting our film to the world. We’ve seen firsthand the quality of his character, the depth of his soul, and the reach of his kindness. Surely, everyone who watches our movie feels it too. Now, in the halls of justice, JJ will be afforded what has been so long-overdue for him … exoneration for his wrongful conviction. It is yet another step in his powerful journey. A moment he will no doubt use for the betterment of others, and to advocate for those still behind the walls. Because that’s just who he is,” Sing Sing producers Greg Kwedar, Monique Waton and Clint Bentley said in a statement. 

Though Velazquez was indicted and convicted of murder, he did not match the description of the suspect and had phone records that confirmed his alibi. He worked with Dateline NBC for over 10 years on an investigation into his case, which led to a broadcast in 2012.  

The D.A.’s office opposed two motions from Velazquez to vacate his conviction in 2014 and 2018. In 2022, the Office’s Post-Conviction Justice Unit opened a new reinvestigation, which found that  Velazquez’s DNA was not included on a betting slip handled by one of the armed robbers before he shot Ward. The office says that kind of DNA comparison was not available at the time of the trial.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg joined with Velazquez’s request to vacate the conviction and moved to dismiss the indictment based on newly discovered DNA evidence. The motion was granted Monday by Judge Abraham Clott. 

“JJ Velazquez has lived in the shadow of his conviction for more than 25 years, and I hope that today brings with it a new chapter for him,” District Attorney Bragg said. “I am grateful to our Post-Conviction Justice Unit for its commitment to impartially uncovering the facts and evidence in this case. Since the creation of the Unit in 2022 we have vacated 10 convictions through reinvestigations and 500 more related to law enforcement members convicted of misconduct. These convictions have deep consequences for individuals and their loved ones, compromise public safety and undermine trust in the criminal justice system, which is why this work is of the utmost importance to me. We will continue to review these types of cases with the thoroughness and fairness they require.”