Martin Tankleff, Freed 17 Years After Wrongful Conviction, Joins State's Bar Association
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A Long Island man who wrongfully spent 17 years in prison for the killing of his parents not only won his freedom and went on to earn a law degree, but today joins the New York State Bar.
Decades ago, Martin Tankleff was convicted in the 1988 killings of his parents in their eastern Long Island home and sentenced to 50 years to life, reports CBS2's Ali Bauman.
As CBS News 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty reported, Martin had just turned 17 when he was arrested for the murder of his adoptive parents, Seymour and Arlene. He had spent his entire adult life in upstate prisons when he was released.
In 2007 an appeals court found key evidence in his trial was overlooked. Prosecutors ultimately decided against a new trial, and all charges against him were dismissed.
"Even today there are still people that question my innocence," he said. "The individuals responsible for my parents' murder are still free."
Tankleff's attorneys argued his confession was coerced and that another person close to the family was the actual culprit. In 2014, he reportedly settled a lawsuit against the State of New York for nearly $3.4 million.
FLASHBACK EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Once Convicted Of Murdering His Parents, Martin Tankleff To Get Law Degree
The exonerated former inmate went on to attend law school and earned his law degree in 2014. His own legal case is now required reading in many law schools.
On Wednesday, Tankleff says he was finally able to hold his head high at the Brooklyn Appellate Courthouse. The last time he was there, in 2007, was when his case was argued.
"Two of the judges that were on the panel that freed me were on this panel," said Tankleff. "For me it was historic. I think it was probably historic for them too."
As a criminal defense lawyer, Tankleff plans to advocate for those who have been wrongfully convicted while at the same time delving deeper into his parents' case.
It's a career decision he made while serving his sentence.
"I was in prison fighting for my life," he said. "I knew that I was going to get out, I knew I wasn't going to die in prison."
Tankleff has been hired as an attorney by the firm which hired him as a paralegal a few years ago. Within minutes of his admittance today, Tankleff picked up his first client.
Though he's come so far, he and his wife, Laurie, only wish his parents could have been here to see it.
"Laurie and I would go to my parents' grave when I was studying for the bar exam and struggling," he said.
"I would talk to them and say, 'Pray for him, he's going to make it,'" said Laurie Tankleff. "Help us."
Now with his certificate of good standing in hand and a gifted "exoneree" ring on his finger, Tankleff becomes one of just a few exonerees to practice law in the state of New York.
He plans on advocating to make electronic recording of interrogations mandatory in New York, something he says would have helped him.
Tankleff has also worked as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and Touro Law School, and he has given lectures to criminal justice institutions throughout New York.
