National Public Radio: Success in Appeals Court on Tankleff Case

The Bryant Park Project show ran a national spot on the appeals court decision to grant Martin Tankleff a new trial – nearly 20 years after being convicted for the murder of his parents on Long Island in 1988. Mr. Tankleff went through a series of appeals, including up to the highest court in New York state and in U.S. District Court, all to no avail.

Bruce Barket led a team of attorneys re-investigating the murders and seeking to re-open the case. After years of effort by Barket and his team, an extensive hearing with dozens of witnesses was conducted, culminating in a decision by the trial judge to let the murder convictions stand, leaving Mr. Tankleff behind bars.

In a New York Times interview: "We've produced an overwhelming amount of evidence to prove that Marty is innocent," one of his lawyers, Bruce Barket, said in a hallway news conference in Suffolk County Court.”

The appeal to the appellate court, however, was successful, based upon the strength and quality of work performed by Mr. Barket and his team. The court vacated the convictions and granted a new trial to Mr. Tankleff. The case was subsequently dismissed by the New York Attorney General, ending Mr. Tankleff’s 20-year ordeal.