Woman released from prison after new evidence contradicts her in 1999 Bronx murder

A woman jailed for more than a decade was freed Tuesday after new evidence refuted that she helped a killer take out an innocent victim in the Bronx 25 years ago.

Kimberly Hanzlik, 59, was convicted along with gunman Joseph Meldish in 2011 Reportedly diverted Meldish from his intended goalThomas Brown, sitting at Frenchy’s Tavern on East Tremont Avenue on March 21, 1999.

A judge sentenced Hanzlik 20 years to life in state prisonAnd that’s where she languished – until new evidence discovered by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office cast doubt on whether she was even at the Bronx watering hole at the time of the murder.

The story goes that Meldish – who is suspected of being involved in 40 gangland murders – was angry that Brown, a one-time drug dealer, had refused to lend him cash for a deal, then when When Meldish reported theft in his house, he informed the police. Retribution.

Hanzlik – who was addicted to drugs at the time – allegedly went with Meldish and another man to a Throgs Neck bar where Brown was hanging out, walked in, saw him sitting with his wife and told Meldish he was there. .

Meldish suddenly attacked and shot the man eight times, killing him.

But it was revealed that Meldish had actually shot Brown’s look-alike brother, Joey.

And unfortunately for Hanzlik, Meldish’s getaway driver testified that he had helped the criminals accomplish their nefarious mission – which led to his conviction.

In 2021, Hanzlik’s lawyers asked the DA’s Conviction Integrity Bureau to re-examine the case — and that’s when they discovered old police documents that quoted the getaway driver as saying that Hanzlik was not there when the shooting occurred. Was.

Investigators also found that Brown’s wife – who claimed she had seen Hanzlik at the bar before the shooting – never mentioned him until 2006, seven years after the murder.

And the now-deceased NYPD detective who obtained the identification created a false ID in a separate, unrelated case, Clark said.

On Tuesday, an administrative judge at the Bronx Hall of Justice granted Hanzlik’s attorney’s motion to vacate the conviction, dismiss the indictment, seal the case and free him from jail.

“Ms. Heinzlich served 13 years in prison based on trial testimony that cannot meet today’s threshold of credibility given the discovery of new information that casts doubt on the integrity of her sentence, and we But can’t sustain,” Clark said.

“I realize this causes pain and suffering to the victim’s family, but in the interest of justice, we are dismissing the charges against Ms. Hanzlik.”

Afterwards, Hanzlik’s attorney Irving Cohen said it was a “wonderful day”.

“We knew immediately that he was innocent,” the lawyer said. He also said his client was “really emotional” about being released.

“I mean, he’s completely innocent. She was not there when this incident happened.”

However, not everyone was excited.

“I’m disappointed that this is happening,” Joseph’s widow, Eileen Brown, told The Post. “I don’t understand how they can let him out.”

“His record will be expunged. It’s as if he was never arrested,” she added. “If she hadn’t gone to that bar and told my husband, he would still be with us today. My husband was a good person. He had a good job and was in the Air Force Reserves. We had a young son.

“We were a happy family with a good future and because of him it all came crashing down that night.”