Man exonerated by DNA after serving 25 years for rape

New probe concludes 'police conducted an inadequate investigation marked by unduly suggestive identification procedures'

A man who served 25 years in jail after being wrongfully convicted in a 1985 sexual assault case has been fully exonerated by the New York Supreme Court after newly-discovered DNA evidence proved his innocence.

Rafael Ruiz was released in 2009 after initially rejecting a three-year plea deal and serving the full 25-year sentence for a crime he did not commit.

Mr Ruiz, who has long defended his innocence, had his conviction vacated by the Supreme Court on Tuesday following a joint-investigation spearheaded by the New York County District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Program, along with the nonprofit Innocence Project.

Seema Saifee, senior staff attorney at the Innocence Project, said in a statement that the collaboration between the activism group and the district attorney’s office allowed investigators “to get to the truth in Mr Ruiz’s case”.

“We now know that police conducted an inadequate investigation marked by unduly suggestive identification procedures,” she said. “This led to the conviction of a young man with limited resources who bravely insisted he was innocent."

Mr Ruiz was sentenced in the rape case after a woman said she was sexually assaulted by three men on a Manhattan rooftop in 1984.

The woman said she was initially brought to the building by an acquaintance of her boyfriend at the time, whose name was “Ronnie” according to her testimony.

Mr Ruiz thanked the Innocence Project for their efforts in clearing his name in a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision.

“I am thankful to the Innocence Project, for all their work to make today a reality,” he said. “I lost 25 years of my life because I insisted upon my innocence and rejected plea bargains.”

He added: “Today feels like a huge burden off my shoulders, and I look forward to living a good life moving forward."