By Mrs. Eileen Hunter — about the author. Posted August 11, 2026.
“Wrongful conviction” is a strong claim, and this site does not make it loosely. This page lays out, at a high level, why the record of State v. Hunter matches the documented pattern of wrongful convictions in America — and links each point to the detailed evidence page behind it. Every claim below is cited on its linked page; every page states how the courts have ruled.
1. No physical evidence — by the State’s own account
No DNA, no fingerprints, no fibers, no eyewitness. The State’s own opening statement conceded there was nothing linking Mr. Hunter to the scene, the truck, or the weapon; the forensic report excluded him. (The forensic record.)
2. A conviction resting entirely on jailhouse informants
The court of appeal itself called three incarcerated men’s testimony “the only evidence that directly linked Tony Hunter with the crime.” Their accounts contradicted each other on the date, the time, the room, and the weapon — and every statement came after a television broadcast named him and cash rewards were publicized. (The informants, measured against the record.) The Innocence Project has found jailhouse informants contributed to nearly one in five DNA exonerations. (The research.)
3. Undisclosed benefits — documented in court records
All three informants told the jury they received nothing. The records show a statutorily forbidden suspended sentence, a dismissed charge presented as a conviction, a habitual-offender bill dismissed 39 days after the indictment, and a life exposure never billed. Most of it surfaced only in 2025. (The disclosure claims; why this is the Brady pattern.)
4. An alibi the jury never heard
Sworn statements place Mr. Hunter at a birthday party with his daughter and then home with his family all night — and the filings allege the alibi statement police took was never given to the defense. (The alibi evidence.)
5. A murder weapon pointing elsewhere
The .22 traced to another man’s stolen gun; an investigator’s note — disclosed years late — recorded the owner saying a third man likely traded it for drugs. No print on it matched Mr. Hunter. (The weapon evidence.)
6. Corroboration that dissolves on inspection
The only non-informant corroboration was a red truck with a burned-out headlight — but Mr. Hunter’s rented truck had been ticketed three days earlier with both headlights working and factory glass, and its forensics came back clean. (The red truck evidence.)
7. Sworn recantations — never tested
The man who allegedly received the confession swears it never happened. The man Kennedy placed in the room swears he was recruited for a scheme and refused. One of the three trial informants has twice told investigators no confession occurred. (The sworn documents.)
8. Twenty-two years without an evidentiary hearing
Five post-conviction applications, 2007–2026: every one denied on the papers. A federal petition dismissed as time-barred without merits review. A supervisory writ — asking only for a hearing — is pending in the Second Circuit now. (The timeline; procedural history.)
The other half — always
A jury convicted; the Second Circuit affirmed; no court has found suppression, misconduct, or innocence. That is the record too, and it appears on every page of this site. What no court has done is hear a single witness on any of the evidence above. We think the record earns that hearing — read it and decide for yourself, starting with the timeline or the case overview.