Man Exonerated After 19 Years in Prison for Robbery

Kenneth Windley walked free from a Brooklyn courtroom on Monday after spending 19 years in prison for a robbery he did not commit, following a joint request from prosecutors and his lawyers to vacate his conviction.

Windley, now 61, had been convicted in 2007 of second-degree robbery in connection with an April 1, 2005, incident in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The victim, 70-year-old Gerald Ross, was followed home from a bank and post office, then robbed in his apartment building's elevator. Two men put Ross in a chokehold and stole approximately $485 in cash, two unsigned money orders valued at $542.77 and $9.48, and a bank book.

On the same day, Windley purchased a stove for his mother at an appliance store in Brownsville, using the larger stolen money order. He had obtained it from two neighborhood acquaintances who offered it at a discount in exchange for covering the sales tax on his purchase. Windley provided his full name, address and driver's license at the store, creating a direct link for investigators. Ross later identified Windley as one of the robbers in a photo array and a live lineup, both conducted more than six weeks after the crime. At trial,...