A wrongfully convicted man was just set free in New York after serving decades in prison for a murder he did not commit.

Ironically enough, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, head of the prosecutor's office that initially imprisoned Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez more than 20 years ago, played a key role in the former convict's exoneration, F2FAfrica reported.

The Manhattan office's Post-Conviction Justice Unit, which was launched under Bragg's leadership, reinvestigated Velazquez's case and determined that new evidence unavailable at the time of his trial supported his long-stated claim of innocence for the 1998 shooting death of a retired police officer.

Fully exonerated of a wrongful murder conviction

According to NBC News, Velazquez was convicted in 1999 for the murder one year earlier of retired police officer Albert Ward during an armed robbery at an illegal betting parlor in Harlem, and he was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in New York's infamous Sing Sing prison.

Velazquez had maintained his innocence from the beginning and convinced NBC News producer Dan Slepian that he'd been wrongfully convicted as far back as 2002, after which the network kept tabs on and occasionally raised awareness about his plight behind bars for a murder he insisted he did not commit.

In 2021, in part due to his story but also because of his work supporting the education of other inmates at Sing Sing, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo granted Velazquez executive clemency and commuted the remainder of his sentence.

On Monday, with support from the Manhattan DA's Office, Velazquez finally had his name cleared and was fully exonerated by Judge Abraham Clott, who said during the four-minute hearing, "I do want to recognize the extraordinary achievements of Mr. Velazquez throughout the time he was incarcerated and since his release."

DNA evidence points to a shooter other than Velazquez

According to a press release from DA Bragg's office, prosecutors supported the move to vacate Velazquez's conviction and toss out his initial indictment after the Post-Conviction Justice Unit reinvestigated the case and determined that Velazquez was not the culprit of the murder.

Specifically, the PCJU used advanced DNA testing on a gambling slip known to have been handled by the shooter -- testing that was unavailable at the time of the trial -- and found that it had not been handled by Velazquez, which in conjunction with other things like Velazquez's alibi, inconsistent witness statements, and a lack of other evidence linking him to the crime would likely have resulted in his acquittal years ago.

"JJ Velazquez has lived in the shadow of his conviction for more than 25 years, and I hope that today brings with it a new chapter for him," Bragg said in a statement. "I am grateful to our Post-Conviction Justice Unit for its commitment to impartially uncovering the facts and evidence in this case."

"Since the creation of the Unit in 2022 we have vacated 10 convictions through reinvestigations and 500 more related to law enforcement members convicted of misconduct," he added. "These convictions have deep consequences for individuals and their loved ones, compromise public safety, and undermine trust in the criminal justice system, which is why this work is of the utmost importance to me. We will continue to review these types of cases with the thoroughness and fairness they require."

Feels he is owed an apology for missing a quarter-century of his life

NBC News noted that Velazquez has become an advocate for criminal justice reform since his 2021 release from prison and has shared his story in a dramatic movie, documentaries, podcasts, and books.

Speaking with network anchor Lester Holt following his exoneration, Velazquez praised his mother and Slepian for their support over the years and efforts to bring attention to his story that, in his view, contributed significantly to his eventual release and the dismissal of the indictment -- though he did take issue with the lack of any sort of apology from the judge.

"Four minutes after 27 years, no apology," Velazquez said of the hearing after recounting all of the major life events he missed while wrongfully incarcerated. He further noted that the judge "talked about celebrating" his name being cleared, but added, "after that same courtroom destroyed my life, this isn't a celebration. This is an indictment on the system."