Prime Suspect

Will New Evidence Give Marty Tankleff A Second Chance?

(CBS)  Asked why he didn't consider Steuerman's absence to be connected to the murder, McCready says, "Because he had nothing to do with that murder."

"Didn't his disappearance make your case harder?" Moriarty asks.

"Not that it made it harder, it just — it just added more questions," the former detective says.

Two weeks later, the detectives found Steuerman in Long Beach, Calif., where he was living under an alias.

"I mean, didn't you say to Jerry, you're messing up my case here?" Moriarty asks McCready.

"Something like that. I remember saying something to that effect, yes," McCready recalls.

Steuerman returned home claiming his personal and financial problems caused him to flee. "I couldn't take it anymore. I had too many problems and it's just 20 years of building up, that's all," Jerry Steuerman said. "So I staged my death."

"Is it possible Jerry hired someone?" Moriarty asks McCready.

"Nope," McCready says. "He couldn't. That man couldn't hurt a fly."

One month after the Tankleff's were attacked, Seymour died, without ever regaining consciousness.

Marty was then charged with two murders and, a year and a half later, went on trial. "I think every emotion ran through me, scared, fearful, but I was also hopeful," Marty remembers. "Because I knew I was innocent. And I always believed that innocent men don't get found guilty."

By far, the most damaging evidence against Marty was his confession. But there was little physical evidence to back it up. None of Marty's hair nor blood was found on his parents. His mother Arlene had clearly fought her attacker, yet, Marty had no cuts or bruises, only some swelling in his eyes from a nose job he got for his 17th birthday.

The jurors also heard from the man the detectives had dismissed as a suspect.

Steuerman denied any involvement in the Tankleff murders but did admit that he had owed Seymour Tankleff hundreds of thousands of dollars. What's more, he was upset that Seymour was demanding a share of the bagel store Jerry was setting up for his son.

Under intense questioning, Steuerman snapped.

"Marty Tankleff sitting over there is accused of this and I am not!" Steuerman said. "Only mistake that I made in my lifetime, the only mistake I made was I was a poor man living like a millionaire!"

By contrast, Marty was composed on the stand, perhaps too composed, as he tried to explain why he would confess to something he didn't do.

"They were saying my father said I did this. My father never lied to me," Marty said in court.

After a week's deliberation, the jury reached its verdict: guilty.

"It was as hard as the day I learned my sister was killed," Marty's aunt Marianne tearfully remembers.

Marty was sentenced to 50 years to life but, 12 years into that sentence, private investigator Jay Salpeter stepped in.

And he has found a witness who is ready to reveal a secret, and a son who is ready to turn in his own father.

[psycdr1]

I am a retired police detective and it is true, the Supreme Court says its alright for officer's to lie in order to get a confession, howevere, not to lie in court to get an convection. Sounds to me this guy was in a hurry, did not investigate the crime as he should have, and got the easy person to pick on for a confession. His supervisor is also at blame!

[rohill]

I have followed this case since the original trial. Back then I was convinced that Marty was innocent (not simply not guilty), and in the past few years as the truth has come out about the real events of that night, it has become even more apparent. I have heard the witnesses speak in the recent hearings, and I believe that they have given us the truth about who did what.

Someone asked about DNA. I believe that there actually is DNA available, but the judge has suppressed it and refuses to allow it to be tested because of a technicality. Others know the details better than I do on this.

As for the DA being "stupid," that is unfair. Before he was elected, he used to say that he believed Marty to be innocent. He was right then. But having been the defense attorney for Todd Steuerman AND for Detective McCready, both of whom were tried for serious offenses, he may be "partial" and unwilling to open up a case that would obviously lead to other guilty parties. It is easier to keep one innocent person in prison than it is to expose former defendants and call into question everything the police did back in those days.

I look forward to meeting Marty face to face, out of prison. God grant that that day come soon.

[marjibelle]

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY CRIMINAL(!!) ACTION ON THE BEHALF OF MCCREADY AND LATO!! THEY WERE AFRAID OF EXPOSING THEIR INCOMPETENCE AND STUPIDITY (NOW THAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR THEM) AND SO COVERED THEMSELVES BY RUINING A YOUNG MAN'S LIFE. MAY GOD GIVE THEM THEIR DUE!!!!!!!

[robinlitchfi]

I agree these "Public Servants" who work on taxpayers $$$ should be held accountable but since they are not they do whatever they want knowing there are no consequences. I have a brother who is wrongfully convicted as well and his son was murdered. He was run down by the son of the people he was living with? Coincidence? NO Murder! Public officials here turn a blind eye as the murderers father is the DJ for all of the local police functions for free. www.paullitchfield.com

[bamababydoll]

This case should be reopened, completely redone, with an unbiased team that was not and will not be associated with the arrogant turds that did the first investigation. Who hired that closed minded idiot who lead the primary investigation? He believes he can tell a liar better than scientifically PROVEN methods? I was seriously rolling my eyes at this story. I just feel so bad that this guy never had a chance to truly mourn his parents passing. I do say kudo's to his family for rallying their support. Prayers will be that you come out on top in the end.

[jewel681]

It is hard to believe that Mr McCready said, the Supreme Court says its alright for officer's to lie in order to get a convection. Please tell me I did not hear him say that, Last night 8/11/2007



Jewel681

[peanutz257]

Is there no DNA from the mother? She obivously fought her attacker. Just goes to show ... even our justice system can be bought.

[starleo146]

JUDGES, JUDGES, what are we to do with the imbeciles on the bench in this United States, look at the case in New Jersey the guy that is under arrest is an illegal he has been to that court they say 6 times and not once did this judge turn him into the Immigration dept. let alone try and deport him, I feel our justice system is KUPUT!!! Even the Wash.D.C. Justice dept if that is what you want to call it. Not the U.S.Attorneys the people running it. If they finally convict that guy in New Jersey and deport him how many want to make a bet he will be back in the USA pronto.

[wattermelann]

My gut feeling is Marty is innocent. McCready and Lato should be penalized for their stupidity. When people lack intelligence they are overflowing with deception. And that is how this system keeps its department at 94% with threats, manipulation and deception. The kid was living in the utmost comfort, he was going to get his inheritance when he was 25 like Prince William. Lato and McCready, are paying lip service to the affluent.Whether the convictions were based on truth or not, these people are not looking for truth, they are looking for that loophole that will enable them to get their conviction and their paycheck. Never allow any cop to interview you without a lawyer present. Effective interrogation takes an intelligent interrogator to get the truth and clearly McCready is extremely lacking in this skill. I mean these guys are so lacking in frontal lobe substance, their conscious allows them to sleep at night.

[karlab8]

I have never been so disgusted about a conviction as this one. This guy is clearly innocent. Was Lato watching the interview with the original detective. That moron should be in jail for a travesty of justice. It is obvious who killed his parents. The partner is living in luxury in Boca.I think the original jury must have been on drugs. This guy needs a new trial soon.

[jscribe58]

I agree with DeborahCox05, also from personal experience. Innocent until proven guilty is a myth. When you are chosen as a suspect, no matter what the reason or whim, without a lot of money, you're going to prison. Even this boy, with money, is the victim of blatant obstruction of justice. Even with the amount of people being proven innocent through DNA, the prosecutor's are complaining that they should stay in jail. This is outright showing how unbalanced our criminal justice system is. I think the only way this can correct itself is for us to hold prosecutor's like this one criminally responsible for their actions.

[rlacy38654]

My son's dad was part of a "false confession" and received 20 yrs because of it. He was told that if he went to trial that a jury would sentence him to death. He had a court appointed attorney that turned out to be his ex-wife's divorce attorney. No one told him that he could request another attorney. He has gotten a raw deal all the way around and no one will help him. Medical evidence didn't add up to prove he was guilty. He didn't get good advice.

[pookiepie6]

I have never before felt compelled to speak out for people that I%u2019ve never met and mean nothing to me. However, I%u2019ve never known of a situation in which an assistant District Attorney so blatantly disregarded his responsibility to seek the truth.

I do not know whether Marty Tankleff is innocent or guilty of murdering his parents. However, it is abundantly clear that Leonard Lato is actually hindering the process of discovering who should pay for the horrible murder of the Tankleff%u2019s, by not allowing a new trial.

%u2022 The police never investigated anyone other than Tankleff
%u2022 Too many people, with too little ulterior motive are speaking up on behalf of Tankleff and against Creedon
%u2022 It is absurd not to give immunity to Glenn Harris and hear what he has to say about the gloves and his involvement

Whoever is found guilty by a jury, who has all of the new information and witnesses, should pay for the crime.

[deborahcox05]

You know what you have to have for probably cause to arrest someone in the U.S.?

NOTHING!! The police do NOT have to investigate anything. That is the big joke about our system.

You know what an attorney told me once? Here you go:

If he and I had a meeting that morning and he had cut his face shaving, and for whatever reason he decided to give a sworn statement to the police that I had cut his face in an attack, the police would have probable cause to arrest me!

It is then my responsibility to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was innocent!

You are not innocent until proven guilty! You are guilty until you can prove yourself innocent!

Our justice system is the "just-us" system and the cops are out of control!

They are not here to serve and protect. They are all about getting a conviction - RIGHT OR WRONG!

This is my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!