Murder of Nathan Blenner

Murder of Nathan Blenner is a famous case of kidnapping and murder of Nathan Blenner, a 20-years old man from Queens, NY who was kidnapped in 1985 from outside his home. His body was found with a single fatal bullet wound in his head. Two individuals, then Willie Stuckey and David McCallum, both just 16 at the time, were arrested and allegedly confessed to killing Blenner during attempted car theft and later allegedly having a joyride in the victim's car. Despite recanting their confessions soon after, both suspects were found guilty sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment based on false confessions. Both suspects were exonerated in 2014, McCallum after serving 29 years of his sentence, and Stuckey post-mortem after having served 16 years and dieing in prison.

Campaign for release

Documentary David and Me

The campaign for the exoneration of the two came after a lengthy and publicized campaigns for McCallum's release. A documentary titled David & Me, by the Toronto-based documentary filmmakers Ray Klonsky and co-director Marc Lamy of Markham Street Films. They both met McCullum, became his friends and fought for a decade for his release. Their film that had its world premier at the 2014 Hot Docs festival in Toronto.

Rubin Carter campaign

It also included a famous op-ed in the New York Daily News by former boxer and wrongful convictions advocate Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who penned a plea from his death bed to District Attorney Kenneth Thompson to release what he said was the wrongly convicted McCallum. "My single regret in life is that David McCallum (...) is still in prison," Carter wrote in February 2014, two months before he died, calling for Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson to review the case. "Knowing what I do, I am certain that when the facts are brought to light, Thompson will recommend his immediate release," Carter wrote.

Exoneration

After being imprisoned for 29 years, a new legal process was opened on the case and David McCallum. Both McCullum, now 45, and William Stuckey were found innocent of the murder. District Attorney Ken Thompson's office and the Conviction Review Unit completed their reviews of McCallum's case and agreed to set him free. "We have determined that there's not a single piece of evidence that linked David McCallum or William Stuckey to the abduction of Nathan Blenner or his death — "except for their brief confessions, which prosecutors have now concluded were false". Thompson said he had "inherited a legacy of disgrace" when he took office in January 2014 and had to act swiftly for justice. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew D'Emic dismissed the conviction at the request of DA Thompson. The judge also threw out the conviction of Willie Stuckey, finding they were "both pressured into confessing as teenagers". Thompson's predecessor had reviewed the convictions in 2013 and decided to stand by them.

Upon the hearing, McCullum who was represented by his lawyer Oscar Michelen, was released on October 15, 2014. But it was to late for his co-defendant Willie Stuckey, who had already died in 2001 in prison of a heart attack after spending 16 years behind bars.

See also

• List of wrongful convictions in the United States