Innocent New York ‘rabbi killer’ David Ranta freed from prison
NEW YORK – After 23 years in prison, a New York judge has freed David Ranta, the man wrongly convicted in the 1990 murder a rabbi. She said her apology was "grossly inadequate."
Ranta was convicted and sentenced to 37 years in prison for the murder of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger, a Holocaust survivor.
More from GlobalPost: Jean S. Harris, Scarsdale Diet doctor killer, dies at 89
The murder of Rabbi Werzberger, who was killed during a botched jewelry heist, had a great impact on New York's religious Jewish community. Thousands of people attended his funeral.
"I'm overwhelmed," Ranta said. "I feel like I'm under water, swimming… As I said from the beginning, I had nothing to do with this case."
The BBC reported before he was freed the judge said: "To say that I am sorry for what you have endured would be an understatement and grossly inadequate – but I say it to you anyway."
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!