Man jailed for murdering Hofstra coach has conviction overturned after decades behind bars
A man convicted in the murder of an assistant coach at Hofstra University was set free by a judge Monday after spending decades behind bars.
Nassau County Judge Patricia Harrington said Christopher Ellis’s conviction should be tossed after a jury convicted him in 1992 based on testimony from a single eyewitness yet “no forensic or physical evidence.”
Long Island prosecutors also had failed to hand over to the defense the notes from the lead homicide detective in the case, which involved the death of 25-year-old Harry Joseph Healy on Sept. 29, 1990.
Still, Harrington said Ellis could be retried in the slaying. Prosecutors said they have yet to decide whether to do so.
The 51-year-old Ellis’s family cheered after Harrington vacated the conviction and the convicted man was uncuffed and released.
“I can’t imagine the celebration going to happen tonight and the wonderful dinner that I’m sure everybody has prepared for you,” Harrington said.
Outside the courtroom, amid boisterous celebration with family, Ellis, who appeared in court with a blue polo and black trousers, told reporters he felt “wonderful.
“I’m just glad to be with my family, enjoy life,” he said.
The first thing he said he plans to do with his newly acquired freedom was to stop for rum-raisin ice cream.
“I knew [this day] would be here, but I didn’t think it would take this long,” he said.
Assistant District Attorney Barbara Kornblau agreed to Ellis’s release on his own recognizance and added the DA’s office has not been decided whether the it would retry him.
“It’s not over yet. … We still have a way to go,” Ellis acknowledged.
Ellis was 20 years old when cops said he killed Healy in a botched robbery outside an Arby’s in Hampstead along with two others, David Liles and Gary Lawrence.
According to court documents, Healy was eating with friends when the group was approached by two men, one of whom pulled a gun and told them all to get up. The other man remarked, “Just do it” and the gunman fired a single shot, killing Healy.
The witnesses, though, were split on whether Ellis was the gunman, second man or even there at all, court docs say.
“Today is a great day for Chris. It’s a great day for justice,” Ellis’s lawyer, Ilann Maazel, said.
“Ellis was charged and convicted for a murder he did not commit. He’s an innocent man, and he spent three decades in prison, and this is his first taste of freedom since he was 20 years old.”
