A North Bellport man who spent 33 years in a New York prison for murder had his conviction overturned on Wednesday. That’s after an investigation found Suffolk County homicide detectives mishandled evidence and intimidated witnesses.
Keith Bush was convicted in 1976 for the murder of a teenager. Bush was 17 and had no criminal record. He spent 33 years in prison, maintaining his innocence the entire time.
“I had no knowledge of the criminal justice system and was taught to believe that law enforcement, when they spoke you listen, you respect them because they were authorities. And I put my trust in that and as a result of that I paid, dearly.”
Bush says detectives beat him into signing a false confession. District Attorney Timothy Sini apologized to Bush on behalf of his office and Suffolk County law enforcement.
“We can’t give back what he lost, and for the criminal justice system in Suffolk County, it’s the only path forward...We’re doing amazing work here in Suffolk County on a daily basis, none of that matters if we don’t correct the injustices of the past.”
An investigation by the DA’s Conviction Integrity Bureau found homicide detectives failed to disclose they had another suspect at the time. Authorities say that individual died in 2006 and is the most viable suspect of the murder.
