Jeffrey Mark Deskovic
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Mark Deskovic was wrongly convicted in 1990 at the age of seventeen of raping, beating, and strangling Angela Correa, a 15-year-old high school classmate at Peekskill High School
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. Correa had gone out with a portable cassette player and a camera for her photography class. Her body was found two days later. Although Correa and Deskovic were not close friends and Deskovic was not popular in school, Correa had been one of the few students that had been nice to him, even helping him with algebra. Deskovic has explained that this was the reason he had cried copiously during Correa's funeral. The police, however, thought Deskovic was showing suspicious behavior.
The jury convicted Deskovic based on testimony from a Peekskill detective that Deskovic had confessed to the crime. Deskovic proclaimed his innocence on several occasions, but was denied a reopening of the case by the then district attorney
Jeanine Pirro
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In 2006, a new district attorney authorized a DNA test which led to Deskovic's exoneration. The DNA from the crime scene was matched to that of another prison inmate who was serving a life term for another murder, and this inmate confessed to the Correa murder. Deskovic's conviction was overturned and he was released.
Deskovic, once an altar boy, is a convert to Islam. He converted a year into his sentence for kinship and protection. Regarding his decision he stated, "It was a major factor in surviving prison in terms of my mental sanity." He later said, "If it weren’t for my religion I would have taken my own life in prison, or I would have lost my mind."
Jeffrey Deskovic is now an advocate for reform of the criminal justice system and works to educate the public through his public speaking, published articles, and The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice.
Peekskill High School
Peekskill High School is located at 1072 Elm St. in Peekskill, New York, and educates most of the district's ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders. The high school's current principal is Sherrill Murray-Lazurus. Students at the high school prepare for the New York State Regents Exams in...
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Biography
The crime occurred on November 15, 1989 in Peekskill, New YorkPeekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
. Correa had gone out with a portable cassette player and a camera for her photography class. Her body was found two days later. Although Correa and Deskovic were not close friends and Deskovic was not popular in school, Correa had been one of the few students that had been nice to him, even helping him with algebra. Deskovic has explained that this was the reason he had cried copiously during Correa's funeral. The police, however, thought Deskovic was showing suspicious behavior.
The jury convicted Deskovic based on testimony from a Peekskill detective that Deskovic had confessed to the crime. Deskovic proclaimed his innocence on several occasions, but was denied a reopening of the case by the then district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Jeanine Pirro
Jeanine Pirro
Jeanine Ferris Pirro is a former prosecutor, judge, and elected official from the state of New York, who is currently a legal analyst and television personality. A Republican from Westchester County, Pirro served as a county court judge before serving as the elected District Attorney of...
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In 2006, a new district attorney authorized a DNA test which led to Deskovic's exoneration. The DNA from the crime scene was matched to that of another prison inmate who was serving a life term for another murder, and this inmate confessed to the Correa murder. Deskovic's conviction was overturned and he was released.
Deskovic, once an altar boy, is a convert to Islam. He converted a year into his sentence for kinship and protection. Regarding his decision he stated, "It was a major factor in surviving prison in terms of my mental sanity." He later said, "If it weren’t for my religion I would have taken my own life in prison, or I would have lost my mind."
Jeffrey Deskovic is now an advocate for reform of the criminal justice system and works to educate the public through his public speaking, published articles, and The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice.