Fight For The Truth

Erin Moriarty On The Latest Chapter In The Marty Tankleff Case

(CBS)  After 17 years of isolation, Marty was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. He moved in with his cousin Ron Falbee. "At times it gets a little hairy," Ron says. "You go to bed at night and they're still out there sitting there waiting for you. Yeah, you get a little feeling of what a rock star is.

It's not just the notoriety that's new for Marty. "The shock was the technology," he says. "You know, sending an e-mail across the world and getting a response back in three seconds. Never knew that was possible."

The world changed while Marty was locked up. Asked if anything else surprised him, Marty tells Moriarty, "How good it was to wake up in the morning, be able to make my own cup of coffee, walk out the backdoor and watch the sunrise."

"When was the lowest period in all of this?" Moriarty asks.

"Every day in prison is a low period, you know. You wake up and the smells, the sounds, the noise. And you have to force yourself to get past that period to kind of get through the day," Marty explains.

At age 36, Marty finally feels like a free man. "I was given my life back. In a 10-day period, I went from a prison cell serving 50 years to life, to being back with my family. It's kind of exciting."

His apparent seamless transition to the outside world surprises his family. "My wife and I have been watching him closely. And his manners are still there. He still helps his aunts," Ron says.

Ron's concern was that the years behind bars would harden Marty, but he says that didn't happen.

"I didn't live in the prison system," says Marty. "I resided there…my body was physically there. My mind and soul wasn't."

Marty's legal ordeal is not over: New York's governor appoints a special prosecutor from the attorney general's office to investigate and determine once and for all whether Marty should be retried for the murder of his parents.

It’s yet one more frustrating delay, but Marty wastes no time and enrolls in college. At the same time, he helps his lawyers prepare for a possible new trial.

Six months after his release, there's a decision and Marty returns to court.

"Today is a day that's not just about me," says Marty. "It's about my mother's sister, my father's family."

He is prepared for battle, but the attorney general's office asks the court to drop all charges. It is over.

"The 18 wheeler has finally driven off my chest and I can just finally get on with my life now," Marty comments.

While the decision doesn't completely exonerate him, it’s the next best thing. Marty is free and clear, his record now clean.

"Do you feel that anybody still looks at you and wonders?" Moriarty asks Marty.

"I haven’t sensed that at all. I think that anybody who knows the facts has no doubt, they know that I’m innocent," he says.

The special prosecutor’s investigation uncovers a stunning piece of evidence that points away from Marty’s guilt and was overlooked for two decades. There’s a bloody imprint of a knife on Arlene Tankleff's bed sheet and it matches no knife in the Tankleff home. "It shows that someone left the house with the murder weapon and it wasn’t Marty," Salpeter says.

Marty remains convinced that it was his father's former business partner and his hired thugs who killed his parents. "My family and I won’t stop until they’re prosecuted and they’re in prison," he vows.

But the state says neither that bloody knife imprint, nor any other forensic evidence links the men Tankleff's team has accused to the murders, and it also finds many of the witnesses unreliable. So, for now, no one is charged with the crime.

"It's frustrating that the system doesn't work," Marty says.

Marty is finally free now to make something of his future and he has his sights set high. "I’m majoring in sociology, and then I go on to law school," he explains. "I’ve been exposed to a system that just has so many problems, and I want to change it."

---

A state commission is investigating the way the Tankleff case has been handled. Its report is expected in the fall.



Watch this episode in full:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

[Stoney13]

lo1411,

Let''s see what kind of detective I am! I think "lo" stands for Law Officer, and "1411" is your badge number!

This kid is SOOOOOO innocent! The fact that one of your fellow officers is getting called on to the carpet for this must REALLY get to you! Well, brother that is the wrong way to think!

Because of McCready''s sloppy, heavy-handed, and arrogant behavior, a jury might let a guilty person go! Perhaps a scared kid out there will decide he has nothing to lose and go down shooting and take a fellow officer with him!

One McCready undoes the work of a hundred decent, honest officers! And I know same damned fine men who chose to wear the badge! McCready sullys their name! Think about that before you give your loyalty to an officer who doesn''t deserve it!

[davidj121]

McCready is one stubborn ignorant stupid idiot. Why on Earth would marty tankleff kill his parents. there is no motive whatsoever. yet, there is a shady guy that owes seymour tankleff 500 grand. a 5th grader could put this one together. shouldn''t they teach detectives about motive and how it figures into crime ? what a ******* ! that guy belongs behind bars.

[godsfiddler]

James McCready is nothing more than an a hole con artist, and was probably the one counseling the actual killers.

[godsfiddler]

I wonder if McCready was part of the crime...as well as the three other guys.

[godsfiddler]

Such a shame that all three guys are free men. McCready needs to be in prison for his ***.

[pfd572]

lo1411 and lovetoread1: you might want to take the time to learn about the volumes of false and coerced confessions; the hundreds of innocent people who have been released after DNA evidence analyzed (an example of how the courts and law enforcement CAN err); the forensic evidence that was suppressed that almost entirely clears Marty; the State Commission''s investigation into probable misconduct by law enforcement, etc. Its EXTREMELY naive to think that police and the courts never make a mistake, are alway honest and never have an agenda at others expense. I am relieved that, at least in this case, the system eventually, but way too long after the fact, got it right. (the only motive the police and prosecution could come up with was money he would inherit; if they had checked they would have found out he wouldn''t have access to any inheritance, regardless of his parents alive or dead, until he was 25, eight years after their murder - this is no motive)

[tboetj7]

It is an outrage that Jerry Steuerman is a free man. He gets to retire in Florida. Shouldnt he at least be on trial?

[wr_rodgers]

Not only was the detective wrong in how he pursued this case, but so was the jury. The detective should be immediately suspended and then brought to trail. If found guilty he should be required to spend at least 17 years in prison. How in the world can our justice system move so slowly - 17 years ago they were investigating the detectives handling of this case and still today no ruling has come forth. This detective is most likely continuing to send innocent people to prison because he lies, hides the facts and makes every case into what he wants it to be? The jury that served on that case should feel ashamed for being so hoodwinked.

[pfd572]

lo1401

Learn before you speak. There a numerous, documented, authorized and proven examples of people confessing to crimes they didn''t commit. Extended hours of intense, threatening questioning by police, sleep depredation, threats, mind games, lack of food, fear and intimidation by/of authority,etc. all contribute to conditions where people have confessed. Especially younger people. Marty NEVER signed a confession, he said if he did it he must have been having a blackout because he didn''t remember, etc., and IMMEDIATELY rescinded his confession. There was absolutely no evidence other than his physical presence in the house, his own home, and his demeanor. People react to horror in different ways, shock sets in and shock of this nature causes the body/mind to shut down as a way of self-preservation. You need to know of which you speak or you do more harm.

[lovetoread1]

Did Erin actually read the police report? Marty has received a get out of jail free card for murdering his parents.

[jojosmom1]

lo1411 ....Apparently you have no clue what your mind can believe under stressful circumstances. If you are told something over and over, you can start to believe it. Why don''t you keep an open mind and think about how they interrogated him. He is not the first person to ''confess'' to a crime he did not commit! How anyone can watch that and believe with out a doubt that he was guilty, astounds me. Is that not a juror''s job? Without a doubt? Seems to me there was plenty to doubt here.

[jojosmom1]

lo1411 ....Apparently you have no clue what your mind can believe under stressful circumstances. If you are told something over and over, you can start to believe it. Why don''t you keep an open mind and think about how they interrogated him. He is not the first person to ''confess'' to a crime he did not commit! How anyone can watch that and believe with out a doubt that he was guilty, astounds me. Is that not a juror''s job? Without a doubt? Seems to me there was plenty to doubt here.

[davidj121]

I am sick after watching this show. McCready is one of the dumbest , most stubborn idiots I have ever seen. I don''t understand how a jury could have convicted this kid when there was no physical evidence and he had no motive. Why on Earth would he have done that ? That police officer''s refusal to investigate Steurmann is shameful. A young man lost 18 years of his life and he can never get that back.

[animemom-2009]

I believe this is such an injustice. These law enforcement officers and elected officials have sworn to protect and serve. Why did they not protect this 17 year old boy who had apparently just been traumatized by the loss of his two parents? Instead they bombarded him in the interrogation room without an attorney or another family member present on his behalf. Later, when other witnesses and evidence came forward, instead of keeping an open mind they turned a blind eye. Also, if detective McCready is "better than the polygraph machine" why isn''t he sought out by every law enforcement agency in the country? I think detective McCready should take a polygraph examination administered and read by Mr. Jack Trimarco. After all, detective McCready has admitted to lying to 17 year old Marty Tankleff during his interrogation to extract a confession out of him and detective McCready hides behind the United States Supreme Court to justify his lying. I wish Marty and his family all the luck in the world. With people like this protecting and serving our great nation they will need it!

[staylor31549]

I was interested in watching the show because of the injustice that has been done to another teenager. I wanted to share that information:

Learn about 15-year-old Latino honor student named Efren Paredes, Jr. who was wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. Efren had no criminal record previous to his arrest for this crime.

One of the individuals who pled guilty to the case for which Efren was arrested owned the murder weapon, was found in possession of the weapon after the crime occurred, owned the car used in the commission of the crime, and was found in possession of money from the crime. His brother also admitted to being at the crime scene. All admittedly guilty parties to committing the crime have served their prison sentences for this crime and been released.

The case against Efren was entirely circumstantial. There was no physical evidence linking Efren to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the crime, and Efren was home when the crime occurred. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a three month period and was subsequently sentenced to three life sentences. Efren is now 33-years-old.

Please visit www.4Efren.com to learn more about this injustice and egregious human rights violation.

[staylor31549]

I was interested in watching the show because of the injustice that has been done to another teenager. I wanted to share that information:

Learn about 15-year-old Latino honor student named Efren Paredes, Jr. who was wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. Efren had no criminal record previous to his arrest for this crime.

One of the individuals who pled guilty to the case for which Efren was arrested owned the murder weapon, was found in possession of the weapon after the crime occurred, owned the car used in the commission of the crime, and was found in possession of money from the crime. His brother also admitted to being at the crime scene. All admittedly guilty parties to committing the crime have served their prison sentences for this crime and been released.

The case against Efren was entirely circumstantial. There was no physical evidence linking Efren to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the crime, and Efren was home when the crime occurred. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a three month period and was subsequently sentenced to three life sentences. Efren is now 33-years-old.

Please visit www.4Efren.com to learn more about this injustice and egregious human rights violation.

[staylor31549]

I was interested in watching the show because of the injustice that has been done to another teenager. I wanted to share that information:

Learn about 15-year-old Latino honor student named Efren Paredes, Jr. who was wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. Efren had no criminal record previous to his arrest for this crime.

One of the individuals who pled guilty to the case for which Efren was arrested owned the murder weapon, was found in possession of the weapon after the crime occurred, owned the car used in the commission of the crime, and was found in possession of money from the crime. His brother also admitted to being at the crime scene. All admittedly guilty parties to committing the crime have served their prison sentences for this crime and been released.

The case against Efren was entirely circumstantial. There was no physical evidence linking Efren to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the crime, and Efren was home when the crime occurred. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a three month period and was subsequently sentenced to three life sentences. Efren is now 33-years-old.

Please visit www.4Efren.com to learn more about this injustice and egregious human rights violation.

[staylor31549]

I was interested in watching the show because of the injustice that has been done to another teenager. I wanted to share that information:

Learn about 15-year-old Latino honor student named Efren Paredes, Jr. who was wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. Efren had no criminal record previous to his arrest for this crime.

One of the individuals who pled guilty to the case for which Efren was arrested owned the murder weapon, was found in possession of the weapon after the crime occurred, owned the car used in the commission of the crime, and was found in possession of money from the crime. His brother also admitted to being at the crime scene. All admittedly guilty parties to committing the crime have served their prison sentences for this crime and been released.

The case against Efren was entirely circumstantial. There was no physical evidence linking Efren to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the crime, and Efren was home when the crime occurred. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a three month period and was subsequently sentenced to three life sentences. Efren is now 33-years-old.

Please visit www.4Efren.com to learn more about this injustice and egregious human rights violation.

[staylor31549]

I was interested in watching the show because of the injustice that has been done to another teenager. I wanted to share that information:

Learn about 15-year-old Latino honor student named Efren Paredes, Jr. who was wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. Efren had no criminal record previous to his arrest for this crime.

One of the individuals who pled guilty to the case for which Efren was arrested owned the murder weapon, was found in possession of the weapon after the crime occurred, owned the car used in the commission of the crime, and was found in possession of money from the crime. His brother also admitted to being at the crime scene. All admittedly guilty parties to committing the crime have served their prison sentences for this crime and been released.

The case against Efren was entirely circumstantial. There was no physical evidence linking Efren to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the crime, and Efren was home when the crime occurred. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a three month period and was subsequently sentenced to three life sentences. Efren is now 33-years-old.

Please visit www.4Efren.com to learn more about this injustice and egregious human rights violation.

[staylor31549]

I was interested in watching the show because of the injustice that has been done to another teenager. I wanted to share that information:

Learn about 15-year-old Latino honor student named Efren Paredes, Jr. who was wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. Efren had no criminal record previous to his arrest for this crime.

One of the individuals who pled guilty to the case for which Efren was arrested owned the murder weapon, was found in possession of the weapon after the crime occurred, owned the car used in the commission of the crime, and was found in possession of money from the crime. His brother also admitted to being at the crime scene. All admittedly guilty parties to committing the crime have served their prison sentences for this crime and been released.

The case against Efren was entirely circumstantial. There was no physical evidence linking Efren to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the crime, and Efren was home when the crime occurred. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a three month period and was subsequently sentenced to three life sentences. Efren is now 33-years-old.

Please visit www.4Efren.com to learn more about this injustice and egregious human rights violation.