From Colin Moynihan at the New York Times:
Three Bronx men who were set free last year after spending nearly 18 years in prison for two murders they say they did not commit are suing New York City and the two lead police detectives on the case, accusing them of deliberately using tainted or false evidence. …
The lawsuits claim that the detectives, Michael Donnelly and Thomas Aiello, improperly conducted identifications of suspects, coerced false statements from witnesses, provided nonpublic details to witnesses to bolster false accounts, failed to follow up on leads and hid evidence. The suits also cite a key prosecution witness who later recanted.
“When you’re innocent and you’re in prison knowing that you didn’t commit this crime, the pain is double,” said Carlos Perez, who, along with Michael Cosme and Devon Ayers, filed the lawsuits against the city. “It hurt me emotionally, it hurt me psychologically; many times I cried.”