Chanel Lewis, convicted of killing woman jogging in Queens, asks for new trial
Attorneys for a Black man sentenced to life in prison for the sexual assault and murder of a white woman are asking a judge to give their client a new trial, because they say police and prosecutors didn't disclose key evidence.
Chanel Lewis was convicted in the 2016 killing of Karina Vetrano, a 30-year-old speech pathologist for children with autism who was running in a park near her home in Queens. Police and prosecutors said Lewis' DNA matched evidence found at the Howard Beach crime scene, including under Vetrano’s fingernails.
The case captured national attention as police struggled for months to find a culprit. After law enforcement charged Lewis, the first jury to hear the case couldn’t reach a verdict. A member of a second jury, which found Lewis guilty, alleged jurors violated rules meant to ensure a fair verdict — citing one juror announcing on the second day of trial that he thought Lewis was guilty.
Lewis’ attorneys argued in a motion filed this week that the mounting pressure to hold someone accountable in the high-profile case led the NYPD and the Queens district attorney’s office to find someone guilty by whatever means necessary — even if that meant violating Lewis’ constitutional rights.
They say police violated Lewis’ rights by searching and swabbing him without a warrant. They also say there wasn’t enough evidence to suspect him of the crime, and that he and other Black men were targeted because of their race.
