A Brooklyn man who spent more than two decades in prison after being wrongly convicted murder filed suit against the city and a slew of NYPD officers in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday, court records show.
Antonio Yarbough, 40, was found guilty of killing his mother, sister, and her friend in 1992 based on coerced confessions and testimony but was freed last February after DNA evidence cast overwhelming doubt on his involvement.
He was convicted alongside his friend, Sharrif Wilson, who was also exonerated.
“Other than Sharrif’s false testimony and Antonio’s false confession, no evidence of any kind linked Antonio to the murders,” the suit states. The case does not make a specific monetary demand.
Yarbough settled a state wrongful conviction claim for $3.6 million last month. The new suit seeks damages from the city for civil rights violations including wrongful prosecution.
Wilson — who also spent 21 years behind bars before finally tasting freedom — tragically died at Mount Sinai Hospital last month after complaining of chest pains.
The two men were convicted of the grisly massacre – where the victims were stabbed and “garroted” with electrical cords – even though Yarbough quickly called 911 after discovering the mutilated corpses.
Both men also had an alibi — that they were hanging out together in the West Village at the time the medical examiner said the grisly killings took place, their attorneys argued.
The suit alleges that cops targeted the pair because they were openly gay.
“Three or four detectives interrogated Sharrif at a time, slapping him on the head, repeatedly slamming their heads on the table, and demanding that he tell them that he and Yarbough had strangled and stabbed the victims and then moved their bodies,” lawyer Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma states in the complaint.
Last year, DNA evidence taken from under the fingernails of Yarbough’s mother was matched to material found on a woman raped and killed in 1999 — while Yarbough and Wilson were locked up.
The revelation suggested that the true killer of the trio had struck again and was running loose while Yarbough and Wilson rotted behind bars.
The mystery murderer has not been found and an active cold case investigation continues.
Yarbough, meanwhile is attempting to pick up the pieces after spending more than half of his life in prison. The suit states that he suffers from depression and trauma related to his ordeal.