The Brooklyn DA’s Conviction Review Unit exonerated its 40th defendant, a murder suspect so desperate to shorten his prison sentence that he pleaded guilty to a lesser crime that he did not commit.
Keith Roberts, 67, spent eight years in prison for murder before accepting a plea deal in 1995 to a lower charge so he could stay at liberty after his original conviction was reversed on appeal.
On the eve of Roberts’ second trial, he pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge, which resulted in a maximum sentence of seven years, which was less than the time he had already served.
The decision kept Roberts from the risk of another trial that could have landed him back in jail.
But a Conviction Review Unit investigation years later determined that Roberts never should have gone to jail in the first place, and that he was the victim of unreliable testimony, overlooked evidence and a rushed investigation.
“Mr. Roberts, like many others, found himself trapped by a system that failed to recognize his innocence, and nearly 20 years ago, he pleaded guilty just to stay out of prison,” said Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez. “Today, we are able to restore his dignity and good name and affirm his innocence.”