Thomas Rosa, Jr., of Chelsea is Freed from Prison
After Being Wrongfully Incarcerated for 34 Years for a Crime He Did Not Commit
BOSTON – October 19, 2020 – The New England Innocence Project and the Boston College Innocence Program announce today that their client, Thomas Rosa, Jr. of Chelsea, was freed from prison and reunited with his family on October 15, 2020, after being wrongfully incarcerated for 34 years for a crime he did not commit. Mr. Rosa’s release is based in part on the strength of the DNA evidence obtained after his conviction and scientific evidence undermining the eyewitness identifications in the case.
A decision on October 14, 2020, by Justice Gaziano, acting as the Single Justice for the Supreme Judicial Court, allows Mr. Rosa to be freed while the Superior Court considers his Motion for New Trial. His attorneys, Radha Natarajan of the New England Innocence Project and Charlotte Whitmore of the Boston College Innocence Program, filed the Motion for New Trial on June 29, 2020, presenting numerous arguments why his convictions should be overturned. Justice Gaziano wrote that “the DNA evidence, if correct, in conjunction with the Defendant’s other claims, could well establish that ‘confluence of factors’ that would indicate that a new trial is required.”
Mr. Rosa, who has always maintained his innocence, was wrongfully convicted in Suffolk County Superior Court for the 1985 murder of Gwendolyn Taylor. Mr. Rosa presented himself voluntarily to the police and was tried three times, facing one mistrial and one overturned conviction before the final conviction in 1993.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office helped secure Mr. Rosa’s release through a petition to the Single Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, arguing that Mr. Rosa’s motion for postconviction relief has merit, he presents no danger to the public, and his age and underlying health conditions put him at risk of death or serious injury if he were to contract COVID-19 in prison.
“Mr. Rosa has waited a long time – too long – for this day. We are grateful to Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins for recognizing how important it is for Mr. Rosa to be freed so that he has the opportunity to prove his innocence in court,” said Attorney Radha Natarajan, Executive Director of the New England Innocence Project, who has been representing Mr. Rosa for the last five years. “We will not stop fighting for Mr. Rosa until this wrongful conviction is overturned.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Rosa home,” said Mr. Rosa’s co-counsel, Boston College Innocence Program Supervising Attorney Charlotte Whitmore. “Many BCIP students worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help achieve this long-awaited outcome and we are privileged to continue to partner with the New England Innocence Project to pursue justice for Mr. Rosa after so many years of wrongful imprisonment.”
In the coming months, Mr. Rosa’s legal team and the Commonwealth will submit additional briefings. Going forward, Mr. Rosa will take small steps to start rebuilding his life after decades of wrongful incarceration, and he has significant family and community support to help him do that.
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MEDIA COVERAGE
Boston 25 News: “Chelsea man released from prison after serving 34 years for murder he says he didn’t commit”
WBZ-TV, Ch. 4: “Man who says he was wrongfully convicted of murder freed”
NBC Boston: “Mass. Man Who Says He Was Wrongfully Convicted of Murder Freed”
Associated Press: “Man who says he was wrongfully convicted of murder freed”
Boston Globe: “Chelsea man freed after 34 years in prison for murder he says he didn’t commit”