Martin Tankleff
Encyclopedia
Martin Tankleff (born August 29, 1971) is a Long Island, New York resident who was convicted of murder
ing his wealthy parents, Seymour and Arlene Tankleff, on September 7, 1988. After 17 years of imprisonment, his conviction was vacated
and he was released from prison.
appointed New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo
as special prosecutor in the case. From his staff, Cuomo selected Chief Trial Counsel, Benjamin Rosenberg, and veteran homicide prosecutor, Thomas Schellhammer, to reinvestigate the case. On June 16, 2008, Rosenberg announced the results of the Attorney General's investigation. "The issue in this case is not whether there is evidence," he said to Justice Doyle, "but whether there is sufficient evidence." He then announced: "The people move to dismiss the indictment." In the same motion, prosecutors said they would not proceed against suspects identified by Tankleff's defense team, revealing that, "on balance, the defense theory does not appear to be supported by clear evidence." With that, the Attorney General dropped the charges against Tankleff.
On July 22, 2008, Justice Doyle concurred with the Attorney General's motion to dismiss. All charges facing Tankleff were dropped; he would not face retrial.
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ing his wealthy parents, Seymour and Arlene Tankleff, on September 7, 1988. After 17 years of imprisonment, his conviction was vacated
Vacated judgment
A vacated judgment makes a previous legal judgment legally void. A vacated judgment is usually the result of the judgment of an appellate court which overturns, reverses, or sets aside the judgment of a lower court....
and he was released from prison.
Governor appoints attorney general as special prosecutor
Before the Suffolk County DA dropped the charges, New York Governor Eliot SpitzerEliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
appointed New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
as special prosecutor in the case. From his staff, Cuomo selected Chief Trial Counsel, Benjamin Rosenberg, and veteran homicide prosecutor, Thomas Schellhammer, to reinvestigate the case. On June 16, 2008, Rosenberg announced the results of the Attorney General's investigation. "The issue in this case is not whether there is evidence," he said to Justice Doyle, "but whether there is sufficient evidence." He then announced: "The people move to dismiss the indictment." In the same motion, prosecutors said they would not proceed against suspects identified by Tankleff's defense team, revealing that, "on balance, the defense theory does not appear to be supported by clear evidence." With that, the Attorney General dropped the charges against Tankleff.
On July 22, 2008, Justice Doyle concurred with the Attorney General's motion to dismiss. All charges facing Tankleff were dropped; he would not face retrial.