A judge yesterday not only tossed the murder conviction of a Brooklyn man who has spent the past 16 years in prison — but also barred prosecutors from ever trying him for the crime again.
The red-faced Brooklyn DA’s Office insisted there was nothing intentional about its failure to disclose key information to the defense during the trial of Jabbar Collins on charges of shooting Abraham Pollack, a Williamsburg rabbi, in 1994.
“We believe this defendant is guilty,” Assistant District Attorney Kevin Richardson told federal Judge Dora Irizarry. But “we can no longer secure against him a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt,” Richardson said.
Irizarry said prosecutors couldn’t retry Collins even if they wanted to. “It is indeed disappointing — in fact, it is really sad — that the DA’s office persists in standing firm that they did nothing wrong here,” she said.
Collins, now 37, was convicted of gunning down Pollack in a robbery.
A key witness later said he only testified because the ADA on the case, Michael Vecchione, threatened to hit him with a coffee table.
Vecchione has denied any wrongdoing.
Collins smiled broadly at his mother, sisters and children after his conviction was overturned. He is due to be freed by the end of the week.
Israel Pollack, the slain man’s brother, said: “If my brother was standing right here, he would say, ‘This is who killed me.’ ”
Collins’ mother, Margaret Collins-Bridges, said: “I hope that they can find some type of justice when they go out and find the person who did this. But it wasn’t my son.”