Brooklyn man exonerated after spending 31 years in prison for murder he didn't commit

A Brooklyn man's 1979 conviction in a rabbi's murder was vacated this week after a judge ruled he is innocent.

The exoneration comes 15 years after he was released from prison. His attorney called it a historic win in New York.

"I missed so much"

On his 19th birthday, Carl Miller was convicted of killing a prominent Crown Heights rabbi. He served 31 years in prison, the system erasing his 20s, 30s and 40s while the world went on.

"I volunteered for polygraph to show that I had nothing to do with this crime," Miller said. "I missed my kids growing up. I missed attending family members' funerals. I missed so much."

While he spent decades in prison, he never gave up on his innocence.

"The scariest part [was] knowing that any day I could be killed," he said. "[I] went to the parole board four times, maintained my innocence, because it's the truth."

He was released at age 50, but never stopped fighting to erase the stain on his record.

"It was hell"

On Wednesday, in a 49-page decision, a judge cleared Miller, now a 65-year old grandfather, of any wrongdoing.

"He had an alibi at all times," attorney James Henning said. "The only evidence against him was one teenage witness who repeatedly changed his story, lied under oath, and was in contrast with undisputed eyewitnesses."

"I feel good. I feel relief," Miller said.

Data shows as of October 2025, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Conviction Review Unit exonerated over 500 people.

"I spent 31 years of my life in prison. That's half of my life," Miller said. "It was hell."

Even though he has been out for 15 years, he said he's still learning to live outside of prison walls.

"I'm gonna live that life the best way I can," Miller said.