| First Name | Jeff |
| Last Name | Deskovic |
| Year of Conviction | 1990 |
| Year of Exoneration | 2006 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | New York |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | Trial |
| Type of Crime | Rape and Murder |
| Death Sentence | No |
| Gender of Exoneree | Male |
| Race of exoneree | White |
| Juvenile | Yes |
| Mentally Ill or Intellectually Disabled | Treated for Mentall Illness prior to trial |
| Description / Quotes from Testimony Concerning Defense | ● Counsel asserted that the jury did not have enough evidence to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. |
| Did the defendant testify at trial? | No |
| Types of evidence at trial |
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| Were non-public facts alleged? | Yes |
| Type of Forensic Evidence |
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| Types of Flawed Forensics |
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| Brief Quote / Description of Testimony | DNA testing had excluded Deskovic. |
| Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies | ● Gatorade bottle used to hit victim ● Locations of “three distinct crime scenes” ● Victim was carrying a camera and location where it was found ● Victim received blow to the head ● The victim was dragged and her bra ripped off |
| Quotes from law enforcement testimony | Asked, “…had you in any way affirmatively related to Jeffrey the knowledge that you had gleaned from the results of the autopsy?” the detective responded “No, I did not.” When asked on redirect, “did you yourself relate to any of those students any of the observations that you had made of the various scenes that you had seen…” the Detective replied, “No, I didn’t. they were given no information at all.” |
| Quotes from prosecution arguments | The defendant knew “certain intimate details that only the true killer would know.” The detectives “did not disclose any of their observations or any of the evidence they recovered from Jeffrey nor for that matter, to anyone else they interviewed.” |
| Interrogation Recorded | Audio recording of part of interrogation |
| Highest level reached | FederalHabeas |
| Claims Raised During All Appeals and Postconviction |
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| Harmless Error Rulings |
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| Citations to judicial opinions | People v. Deskovic, 201 A.D.2d 579 (N.Y. App. Div. 2 Dept. 1994) |