By Emma Dognin
“I’m the luckiest man alive,” Jon-Adrian “J.J.” Velazquez told a group of high school students on Monday, Nov. 18. Velazquez, wrongfully convicted of murder in 1998, served nearly 24 years in prison before his exoneration.
In 1998, during a robbery in Harlem, Albert Ward, a former police officer, was shot and killed. At the time of the crime, Velazquez was on the phone with his mother in the Bronx for 74 minutes—nowhere near the scene. Witnesses described the suspect as a “light-skinned Black man with braids,” yet Velazquez, a Latino man who never styled his hair in braids, was convicted after his photo was identified from a lineup of 1,800 mugshots.
Notably, Velazquez’s mugshot should not have been in the system. A year before the crime, he was illegally searched, and while drugs were found, the charges were dismissed, and the mugshot was supposed to be removed.
At the time of his sentencing, Velazquez had two young sons, aged 3 years and 5 weeks. He missed their childhoods, milestones, and birthdays while imprisoned at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Initially, his sons visited weekly, but Velazquez eventually told them to stop, worried about depriving them of a social life. Instead, he experienced their lives through photographs.
Velazquez’s story is featured in The Sing Sing Chronicles, a four-part docuseries by journalist Dan Slepian, a White Plains High School graduate. The series, which premiered on Nov. 23, 2024, documents two decades of Slepian’s work advocating for wrongfully convicted individuals. Criminal law students at WPHS got an exclusive preview of the first two episodes on Nov. 18 at the Jacob Burns Film Center.
The episodes shed light on injustices in the criminal justice system and humanized inmates by telling their stories. The series also exposes the ongoing violence and dehumanization within correctional facilities.
Following the screening, students participated in a Q&A session with Velazquez and Slepian. Velazquez, exonerated three years ago, credited his release to his devoted mother and support from NBC. Reflecting on his experience, he urged students to appreciate their lives, stating that his purpose now is to inspire others through his story.
“When you’re incarcerated, they take your identity [and] give you a number,” Velazquez said.
Initially, Velazquez thought his wrongful conviction was an isolated case but soon realized many others shared his plight. He observed that the difference between inmates and the wrongfully convicted often came down to choices and circumstances. Despite facing hatred and dehumanization, Velazquez found humanity by helping others within the prison.
He advised students to avoid bad influences, understand their rights, and trust their attorneys.
Slepian, who grew up believing in the justice system, said his investigation revealed a starkly different reality. He described correctional facilities as places that dehumanize people and noted he witnessed more humanity at Sing Sing than anywhere else. Over 20 years, he documented these injustices to use journalism as a tool for advocacy. His efforts helped secure Velazquez’s release.
“Hearing him speak was enlightening,” one student said. “It showed how journalism and storytelling can promote human rights and justice.”
Velazquez closed with a powerful statement: “I didn’t dream of being incarcerated, but I dreamed of being exonerated—and here I am.”
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