John Bunn
Case Details
Served: 17 years
Year of Exoneration: 2018
Year of Conviction: 1992
Sentence: 7 to life
Conviction: Murder
County: Kings
At age 14, John Bunn was charged with the murder and attempted murder of two NYC Correction Officers in Brooklyn in 1991. He was convicted in a high-profile case at the time based upon the testimony of one eyewitness. New evidence surfaced that Louis Scarcella and other rogue Brooklyn homicide detectives illegally arrested John in his mother's apartment and framed him for the murder. Scarcella, whose tactics have come under fire in dozens of cases, was in charge of the investigation and involved in the identification procedure of John.
John's conviction was overturned in 2016 after a hearing, based on the misconduct of Scarcella and the fact that there wasn't even probable cause to arrest John in the first place. The DA appealed that ruling, but withdrew the appeal after an appellate court upheld the judge's decision overturning John's co-defendant's conviction. After 17 years in prison and 27 years fighting to clear his name, John was exonerated on May 15, 2018.
