The city Department of Correction falsely accused a man of rape, after he had served more than 30 years in prison for the rape and murder of a teen in 1981.
Christopher Aniades, 62, was held in Eric. M Taylor Center in Queens for exceeding curfew, a violation of his parole. But the DOC’s website in September listed him as being charged with attempted forcible rape. Media outlets, including The New York Post, repeated the information.
Aniades was sentenced to 25 years to life for abducting, raping and killing 19-year-old Doreen Vitale on Oct. 15, 1981, as she waited for a bus in Ozone Park. He was released on Aug. 20, 2013, after more than 30 years in jail. He was just 23 at the time. The nude body of his victim, a bank worker, was found in the back of a stolen car.
He confessed in the Vitale killing but later tried to have his conviction overturned, claiming cops did not “scrupulously honor his right to remain silent.”
He also claimed the confession was fabricated.
A New York appeals court upheld the verdict in 1986, citing “the overwhelming evidence of the defendant’s guilt.”
Correction: The original version of this story stated that Christopher Aniades was charged with attempted forcible rape, according to information posted to the city Department of Correction’s website. The DOC now says that was a mistake, and Aniades was not charged with rape. This story has been corrected throughout.