David Ranta

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David Ranta (born around 1955 in USA ) is an American printer and victim of a miscarriage of justice who was innocent in prison for 23 years for a murder that was not committed. His case caused a worldwide sensation and is considered a major judicial scandal in US history because of its tragedy and dimensions .

Life

Ranta worked temporarily as a printer and has three young children. However, at the time of the events of his arrest and conviction, he was unemployed and had previously dealt with police on minor drug offenses.

On February 28, 1990, Hasidic Rabbi Cheskel Werzberger, a survivor of the Holocaust , was shot dead by an escaping diamond thief in Williamsburg . The thief wanted his car as an escape car. The rabbi's assassination attracted quite a bit of public attention across the United States at the time. The perpetrator confessed to his wife two days later that he had murdered the rabbi. However, he did not face the police, but instead fled from them and died in a chase.

Under public pressure to have to present a perpetrator, the completely innocent David Ranta was then presented as the perpetrator by the police. Although he had made a confession, it is now assumed that this was made under pressure. Witnesses were bribed and evidence destroyed. There was no evidence against Ranta. Nevertheless, Ranta was sentenced to 37 years in prison by a court and taken to a maximum security prison near Buffalo , New York State . He was imprisoned there until the beginning of 2013, more than 23 years, when his case was reopened by the judiciary and Ranta was acquitted on March 21, 2013. The responsible judge gave a half-hearted apology, the responsible investigator gave no apology and he dismissed all allegations of having made any mistakes. While he was in custody, the children grew up and both of his parents died and never saw their son's release.

On the day of his release from prison, Ranta was met by his wife, whom he married while in custody, and his youngest, 25-year-old daughter. Two days after his release from prison, he suffered a severe heart attack and had to be hospitalized for treatment. Possibly the excitement of the release and the experiences of the imprisonment were decisive for the heart attack.

In 2014, Ranta sued the city of New York for approximately $ 150 million in damages. However, he was awarded an amount of $ 6.4 million.

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personal data
SURNAME Ranta, David
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Victim of a miscarriage of justice
DATE OF BIRTH around 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH United States