On Tuesday, Samuel Brownridge, a 45-year-old man who grew up in Queens, was exonerated of murder after wrongly serving 25 years in prison upstate for it. The exoneration came during an extraordinary, remotely held hearing before Justice Joseph Zayas of the Queens Supreme Court Criminal Term. During the 33-minute hearing, tears were shed by Mr. Brownridge, by the judge, and by Donna Aldea, the pro bono lawyer for Brownridge.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz took part in the hearing as well, and she, Samuel Brownridge, Justice Zayas, and Aldea made statements about reforming America’s criminal justice system. Brownridge’s case is one of the first reviewed by Katz’s newly created Conviction Integrity Unit.

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