Woman wrongly convicted in murder case, released after 13 years

A woman who spent more than a decade in prison has been released after new evidence cast doubt on her involvement in a 1999 Bronx murder case. Kimberly Hanzlik, 59, was convicted in 2011 along with shooter Joseph Meldish for allegedly informing him of the whereabouts of victim Thomas Brown, who was at Frenchy’s Tavern on East Tremont Avenue on March 21, 1999.

Ms. Hanzlik was sentenced to 20 years to life in state prison, but a re-investigation of the case by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office led to her acquittal.

Meldish, suspected of being involved in 40 gang killings, was angry at Brown – a former drug dealer – for refusing to lend him money and reporting him to police after a burglary. Ms. Hanzlik, who was struggling with crack addiction at the time, allegedly accompanied Meldish and another man to the bar, where she allegedly saw Brown sitting with his wife and informed Meldish of his presence. Meldish then entered the bar and shot Brown eight times, killing him. However, it was later revealed that Meldish had actually murdered Brown’s look-alike brother, Joey.

Ms. Hanzlik was convicted largely based on the testimony of the getaway driver, who claimed she participated in the murder.

After Ms. Hanzlik’s lawyers requested a re-investigation in 2021, new evidence came to light. The prosecutor’s Conviction Integrity Bureau found police documents showing that the getaway driver originally said Ms. Hanzlik was not present at the crime scene.

Brown’s wife, who had previously testified that she had seen Ms. Hanzlik at the bar before the shooting, did not mention her involvement until 2006, seven years after the incident. Investigators also determined that the now-deceased NYPD detective who identified Ms. Hanzlik was involved in forcing false identities in an unrelated case.

On Tuesday, an administrative law judge at the Bronx Hall of Justice granted Ms. Hanzlik’s attorney’s request to vacate her conviction, dismiss the charges and seal the case so she could be released from prison.

Ms. Hanzlik’s lawyer, Irving Cohen, called it an “amazing day” for his client. “We knew immediately that she was innocent,” Mr. Cohen said, adding that Ms. Hanzlik was “very emotional” about her release. “I mean, she’s completely innocent. She wasn’t there when this event happened.”

However, not everyone was happy with the result. Brown’s widow Eileen said she was “disgusted” by the outcome, according to the NY Post. “I don’t understand how they could let her out.” She argued, “If she didn’t go into that bar and point out my husband, he would still be with us today.”