NYC man Jon-Adrian Velasquez, who spent 24 years behind bars for ex-cop’s murder, is exonerated thanks to DNA

A 48-year-old Manhattan man who spent half his life behind bars for the shooting death of a retired NYPD detective was exonerated Monday thanks to a bit of DNA taken from a slip of paper.

Jon-Adrian Velazquez, who was just 22 when he was sentenced to 25 years to life in the 1998 murder of ex-cop Albert Ward during a botched robbery in Harlem, had his conviction vacated by a judge as supporters cheered in the courtroom.

“I’m lucky to be free,” Velazquez told reporters after the proceeding.

“Even though I spent 27 years wrongfully convicted, I asked myself, who am I? I am a man who is free only because of a documentary, several podcasts, a movie and a book. They made enough people stop and ask, ‘Did this really happen?’ And how could it?

“We should not have a system where it’s so much easier to imprison the poor than it is to free the innocent,” he said. “It has always been this way, but it doesn’t have to be, because we deserve better. Why? Because we are better.”

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He wore a cap that read “End of an Error” as he spoke, a reference to a Joe Biden campaign slogan.

Velazquez served nearly 24 years behind bars before being granted clemency by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2021 and freed. He was finally officially exonerated by the judge Monday.

He was the subject of a long-running campaign to free him, including with an Emmy-winning documentary about his conviction by NBC’s “Dateline” that aired in 2012.

High-profile celebrities such as activist actor Martin Sheen took up his cause in recent years.

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Velazquez was just 22 when he was charged in the Jan. 27, 1998, slaying.

Authorities claimed Velazquez was one of two thugs who were committing a robbery at a gambling den on Frederick Douglas Boulevard when Ward came on the scene and pulled a gun.

During a struggle, Ward was shot and killed by one of the men, who was identified as “Tee.”

Velazquez was arrested, convicted and given a life sentence after cops maintained he was “Tee.”

But over the years, more and more supporters rallied behind him, claiming he was innocent, with his lawyers twice filing motions to overturn the conviction in 2014 and 2018, only to lose the bids.

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In 2022, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ordered his agency’s newly created Post-Conviction Justice Unit to investigate the case, including with a review of the DNA evidence.

The probe determined that DNA on a betting slip handled by “Tee” before the shooting did not match Velazquez — clearing him of being the shooter.

“JJ Velazquez has lived in the shadow of his conviction for more than 25 years, and I hope that today brings with it a new chapter for him,” Bragg said in a statement.

“These convictions have deep consequences for individuals and their loved ones, compromise public safety and undermine trust in the criminal justice system, which is why this work is of the utmost importance to me,” the prosecutor said.

The Manhattan DA’s Office said the post-conviction unit has vacated 10 wrongful convictions.

“It’s so easy to imprison someone on frail facts when towering truth stands right behind us waving its arms, warning us of the terrible miscarriage of justice that’s about to go down,” Velazquez said.

“Nobody listens,” he added. “The legal system now has too much anger and presumption. And what it needs is fairness and compassion.”

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