Father of Raiders star Malcolm Koonce has 1983 conviction tossed after DA says it was tainted
Years before Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce was born, his father spent time in prison for an armed robbery conviction that prosecutors now say was tainted by a detective’s lies and “highly suggestive” photo identification techniques
NEW YORK (AP) — Years before Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce was born, his father spent time in prison for an armed robbery conviction that prosecutors now say was tainted by questionable police tactics and a witness identification that was later recanted.
On Friday, a suburban New York judge agreed, erasing 67-year-old Jeffrey Koonce’s conviction and dismissing his indictment more than four decades after a 1981 robbery at Vernon Stars Rod and Gun Club in Mount Vernon.
Koonce, who spent nearly eight years in prison, has always maintained his innocence and insisted that he was nowhere near the club, where three people were struck by shotgun pellets as patrons were looted of cash and jewelry.
Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah backed his request to erase the conviction after her office uncovered problems with the case.
