Letters from Sing Sing

In this bonus episode of the award-winning Letters from Sing Sing podcast, veteran producer Dan Slepian reflects on the final chapter in J.J. Velazquez’s hard-fought path to full exoneration after being wrongfully convicted of murder over two decades ago. Dan and J.J. join Kristen Welker on Meet the Press for a “Meet the Moment” conversation to detail their 20+ year path to overturning J.J.’s conviction.

JJ is out of prison, but in the eyes of the law, he is still a convicted killer.

JJ turns 40. Jon gets in trouble. Dan receives a mysterious envelope with missing police reports.

Dan talks to two jurors from JJ’s trial and tracks down the alleged accomplice. JJ’s story finally goes public.

Dan checks out JJ’s alibi and pours over the 2,000-page trial transcript. It’s clear to him the trial was strange and he’s left with more questions.

In December of 2002, NBC News producer Dan Slepian got a letter from a New York state prison. It was detailed and meticulous, almost like it had been written by a lawyer. But it wasn’t. It was from a man serving 25 years to life for murder. And it ended with a desperate plea: look into my case. Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez had been convicted of killing a retired New York City police officer, but he insisted he didn’t do it. Dan was skeptical. Prosecutors said five eyewitnesses had sworn JJ was the killer. Could five people be wrong? But JJ was adamant about his innocence. He had devoted years to fighting his case, spending hours in the law library, poring over every page of his file. He was confident that if Dan looked into it, he’d see the truth. He even challenged Dan to prove him guilty. So Dan began to dig. What he discovered went far beyond just JJ’s case. And 20 years later, it’s still unfolding. Letters from Sing Sing tells the story of a man convicted of murder, a journalist, and the letter that changed both of their lives. New episodes drop every Monday through March 27, 2023.