A stunning documentary has revealed how six men wrongly convicted of murder were ultimately acquitted.
The injustice first came to light in 2002 when veteran Bronx homicide detective Bobby Addolorato told NBC investigative journalist Dan Slepian that there was a murder case that had haunted him for more than a decade.
Bouncer Markus Peterson had been shot dead at the Palladium nightclub in Manhattan on Thanksgiving night in 1990, injuring another. It was ‘Latin Night’ in the club where more than 1,000 people were present.
Addolorato claimed that the two men convicted of the crime and incarcerated in New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility, David Lemus and Olmedo Hidalgo, were in fact innocent – and that he knew who the real shooter was.
‘It really affected him and then I said: let’s make it our story. Let me follow you as we investigate this again,” Slepian said.
This moment became the springboard for a twenty-year investigation that uncovered four more cases of wrongful conviction in the same prison. A total of six men spent half their lives behind bars for crimes they did not commit.
The extraordinary story is now being told in full in a new four-part documentary series called The Sing Sing Chronicles, airing this weekend.
In an exclusive clip shared with DailyMail.com, viewers can see the moment Addolorato tells a shocked Slepian about the case that ‘haunts’ him.
Bronx homicide detective Bobby Addolorato (pictured) sits with NBC investigative journalist Dan Slepian in a restaurant and tells him the one murder case that has haunted him for more than a decade
NBC investigative journalist Dan Slepian is pictured interviewing a handcuffed David Lemus (left) and Olmedo Hidalgo (right) during Sing Sing in 2002
A new four-part documentary series called The Sing Sing Chronicles will air this weekend. The photo shows an NYPD officer reporting a murder. Slepian was nearby and followed the detective
“It will haunt you, no doubt. It will haunt you until there is closure. And even after there is closure, it will still haunt you,” Addolorato told Slepian in the clip.
Lemus and Hidalgo had been locked up for more than a decade by the time Slepian learned of the case.
He had initially followed the detective for a piece on how officers solve murder cases, claiming he “never imagined” where it would lead.
“It was hard for me to think about it: if they were innocent, why were they there,” he added.
Slepian went to Sing Sing in 2002 to meet with Lemus and Hidalgo, where the two men were captivated and emotional as they talked about their incarceration.
Lemus was imprisoned for eleven years and seven months at the time, and Hidalgo for ten years and nine months.
“No one wants to live in this cage like I do. It’s harder to accept that you’re here when you know you didn’t do anything,” Lemus said through tears at the time.
Recalling the moment the guilty verdict was read in court, Hidalgo broke down and said in Spanish that his life had been crushed.
From that point on, the detective, with the help of his partner John Schwartz, the journalist and others, pushed to reopen the case.
The couple was eventually acquitted in 2005 after almost fifteen years in prison. Lemus was tried again in 2007 but was acquitted.
Lemus told NBC News that he owed his release largely to the two detectives who never gave up.
Speaking of Slepian, he said: “He was young, eager and green, but he was also hungry. So I was willing to take my chance on him because I had no one else to gamble with.”
Detective Addolorato noted that releasing them was the highlight of his career.
Paramedics arrive to transport the injured after the Palladium nightclub shooting
NBC investigative journalist Dan Slepian shook hands with veteran Bronx homicide detective Bobby Addolorato in 2002. Addolorato’s partner John Schwartz is pictured at right
Bronx Homicide Detective Bobby Addolorato was featured during the documentary
The mugshot of David Lemus and Olmedo Hidalgo who were imprisoned for almost fifteen years for a crime they did not commit at the Palladium nightclub, November 1990
It was during his visit to the prison that Slepian first met Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velasquez, who was in the cell next to Lemus.
Velazquez had been convicted at the age of 22 for the 1998 murder of a retired NYPD officer and served a 25-year prison sentence.
His mother, who was visiting the prison, approached Slepian and told him that her son was innocent and asked if he could help him too.
As he began investigating, Slepian uncovered new information but told DailyMail.com that it would take “an army of people to achieve his freedom.”
The docuseries focuses on Velazquez’s painful journey and the special bond the couple formed.
In 2012, Velazquez was finally pardoned and released on parole in 2021. But it was only in October this year that he was acquitted following his wrongful arrest almost 27 years ago.
New York State Supreme Court Judge Abraham Clott vacated his conviction after the Manhattan district attorney’s office reviewed his case.
While fighting for his own freedom, Velazquez introduced Slepian to other men he believed were also innocent in unrelated murder cases.
These men were Eric Glisson, Johnny Hincapie and Richard Rosario, who were also later acquitted.
David Lemus was acquitted in 2005 after almost fifteen years in prison. He was tried again in 2007, but was acquitted
Dan Slepian speaks during the 4-part docuseries about his twenty-year research
Today, Velazquez serves as director of the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice and directs the organization’s National Prison Visitation Program.
He is an advocate for legal reform and a champion for those wrongfully convicted.
Slepian was recognized as a Pulitzer Prize finalist and has a podcast, “Letters from Sing Sing,” for NBC News Studios.
His 1,000 hours of original footage from 2002 to present are featured in the four-part episodes that showcase the gritty streets of New York, the tough detectives, decades-old case files and prison interviews.
Slepian is pictured speaking with Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez in 2007, years after he was wrongfully convicted of the murder of a retired NYPD detective
Dan Slepian visits Velazquez at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in 2017
Slepian and Velazquez attend the November 15 screening of Sing Sing in Manhattan
Slepian told DailyMail.com how “hugely grateful” he was that the series will air this weekend.
“I discovered the complexity of our justice system, the power of human resilience and the profound impact of wrongful conviction on individuals, communities and families,” he said.
He explained that Sing Sing Chronicles is more than just a docuseries and instead “a call to action for empathy, awareness and change.”
“The series not only sheds light on the flaws within the system, but also inspires people to see the humanity in those whose voices are often too silent,” he added.
The four episodes Sing, sing chronicles series, produced by NBC News studios, airs Saturdays and Sundays at 9 p.m.