Kenneth Thompson, a candidate for Brooklyn district attorney, is calling on incumbent Charles Hynes to allow the state attorney general’s office to independently review several "troubling" overturned convictionsa demand Hynes swatted away as unnecessary.
Thompson, a former federal prosecutor and partner with Thompson Wigdor, suggested that "a fair and just" initial investigation in the case of David Ranta could have spared him 23 years in prison. Last month, the district attorney and the defense moved for his conviction to be overturned due to new evidence (NYLJ, March 22). Thompson also cited the cases of Jabbar Collins and William Lopez, both of whom were granted writs of habeas corpus by federal judges. "In order for the people of Brooklyn to have faith in our criminal justice system, D.A. Hynes must refer overturned convictions to Attorney General [Eric] Schneiderman for review. Or he should explain to the public his refusal to do so. Justice demands nothing less," Thompson said in a press release.
