Man Declared Innocent After Serving 18 Years In Prison For Murder

After he was convicted in the 1991 shooting death of a New York teen Fernando Bermudez, 40, was declared an innocent man Thursday. A judge dismissed the murder charges that sent him to prison for 18 years. He is now one step closer to freedom following a hearing in a Manhattan courtroom where Supreme Court Justice John Cataldo threw out the case brought against the then-22-year-old. Prosecutors charged that Bermudez shot and killed 16-year-old named Raymond Blount during a scuffle involving another teen in the Marc Ballroom near Union Square on the morning of Aug. 4 1991. He was later convicted of the crime and has been serving a 23-year-to-life sentence at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. According to Cataldo's 78-page ruling, the case was loaded with several oversights including how one cooperating witness apparently lied in court. Cataldo told a sobbing Bermudez, that he hoped for him a much better future after declaring him an innocent man.

Cheers and applause erupted inside the courtroom where Bermudez's relatives including his wife and 68-year-old father were on hand for the judge's ruling. Although the charges against Bermudez were dismissed, he was taken back into custody shortly after the hearing. According to the New York Daily News, Bermudez still faces a 27-month federal drug sentence stemming from a 1991 bust. It wasn't immediately clear whether the prosecutors who initially tried the case against Bermudez will seek an appeal, however, Chief Assistant District Attorney Mark Dwyer made no secret about his discontent with the ruling. Dwyer said outside of court that they very strongly disagree with the judge's decision and were considering their options.