Marty Tankleff had just turned 17 years old when he was arrested for the murder of his parents in their Long Island home. After hours of aggressive interrogation by a detective with a questionable background, a dubious and unsigned “confession” lead to Marty’s conviction. He was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in 2040. “Wrongful convictions are an epidemic in our justice system, and people need to become educated on the rampant corruption that is a threat to all of us,” says Marty.

After more than 17 years in prison, Marty’s conviction was vacated by the New York State Appellate Division in December of 2007. On July 22, 2008, a judge signed off on a motion by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to dismiss all charges against Marty. Cuomo announced he would not retry Marty, citing insufficient evidence to prove his guilt. A State Supreme Court Justice dismissed all charges against Marty Tankleff in the murder of his parents, and a report is still pending from the NY State Commission of Investigation about Suffolk County law enforcement for its conduct in Marty’s wrongful conviction.

Marty is the innocent victim of a justice system that found him guilty against mounting evidence that indicated otherwise. At the time of his conviction, evidence pointed to another suspect: his father’s estranged business partner, who had violently threatened the Tankleffs just days before the crime. One week after the Tankleff murders had taken place, the suspect faked his own death and fled across the country.

Marty’s 6,338 day fight for freedom caught the attention of the entire country. For nearly two decades, his case was followed by millions of Americans that supported his appeals to freedom. Marty’s now infamous case has proven one thing to all of us: our own system can betray us. Marty is out to prove that unless things change, what happened to him can happen to anybody.

Now 37 years old and finally exonerated, Marty has ambitions to attend law school and change the system from the inside out. A student at Hofstra University in Long Island, his crusade to help the innocent has become a lifelong battle.

AT THE PODIUM: Marty’s perspectives on the criminal justice system are revealed for the first time since his struggle for freedom began. Marty brings his shocking story to life, detailing how his stolen youth was perpetrated by internal corruption. Marty’s first-hand account of wrongful accusation leaves audiences with a deeper understanding of media in the law, wrongful conviction and corruption in the system.

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