Friends imprisoned for decades cleared of New Year’s killing in Times Square

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of childhood friends who were convicted in the killing of a French tourist in Times Square in 1987 have been cleared of wrongdoing by a New York City judge. Eric Smokes and David Warren are now in their 50s. They were arrested as teenagers in the killing of Jean Casse and spent decades in prison before they were released. They had long maintained their innocence. On Wednesday, a New York Judge agreed to vacate their convictions, reversing an earlier decision blocking the men’s effort to clear their names. An attorney for the two men praised the decision, but said it “should’ve been done awhile ago.”