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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
25 years to Life imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
20 |
Year Crime: |
1994 |
Year Convicted: |
2012 |
Year Cleared: |
2016 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
New York |
County or Region of Crime: |
Putnam |
City of Crime: |
Patterson |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Anthony DiPippo was twice wrongly convicted of the murder and rape of 12-year-old Josette Wright in Patterson, New York on or about October 3, 1994, when she was last seen alive, and her family reported her missing on October 4. Josette's remains were found in a wooded area in November 1995 by a hunter. DiPippo, who was arrested in 1996, was convicted in 1997, and after his conviction was overturned in 2011, he was again convicted in 2012. DiPippo's prosecution was based on testimony that he and another man were seen at a gas station with Josette on the day she was last seen. After DiPippo's 1997 conviction was affirmed on direct appeal he filed a CPL 440.10 post-conviction petition for a new trial. On March 1, 2011 the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 2nd Dept., granted DiPippo's post-conviction petition and ordered a new trial based on the actual conflict of interest of his trial lawyer for failing to disclose that a suspect in the crime, Howard Gombert. was a prior client of his, and his ineffective assistance of counsel for failing to conduct any investigation of Gombert as the possible assailant. During DiPippo's retrial his judge refused to permit DiPippo to present evidence in support of his defense that Gombert committed the crime. After DiPippo was convicted by a jury he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. DiPippo appealed. On May 28, 2014 the Appellate Division affirmed DiPippo's conviction. DiPippo appealed that decision. On March 29, 2016 the New York Court of Appeals reversed DiPippo's conviction and ordered a new trial based on his trial judges abuse of discretion for denying DiPippo from introducing evidence of Gombert's third-party culpability. DiPippo was released in June 2016 on $1 million bond pending his retrial. On October 11, 2016 Anthony DiPippo was acquitted by jury after his third trial." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Trial judge refused to allow DiPippo to present evidence that another man actually committed the crime. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On October 11, 2016 Anthony DiPippo was acquitted by jury after his third trial." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
20 |
Age When Released: |
40 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"Anthony DiPippo found not guilty of Josette Wright's murder in Putnam, By Christopher J. Eberhart (Staff writer), The Journal News, October 11, 2016" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2016/10/11/anthony-dipippo-verdict/91741150/ |
Information Source 2: |
"Anthony DiPippo found not guilty of Josette Wright's murder in Putnam, By Christopher J. Eberhart (Staff writer), The Journal News, October 11, 2016" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2016/06/01/anthony-dipippo-bail/85242366/ |
Information Source 3: |
"People v. DiPippo, 2016 NY Slip Op 2279 (NY Court of Appeals, 3-29-2016) (Reversing conviction and ordering new trial based on the trial judge's error of denying DiPippo from presenting evidence that the crime was committed by a man whose DiPippo's lawyer during his first trial had previously represented.)" |
Information Location 3: |
"https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3521917176615077952&q=Anthony+DiPippo&hl=en&as_sdt=6,48" |
Information Source 4: |
"People v. DiPippo, 82 AD 3d 786 (NY Appellate Div., 2nd Dept., 3-1-2011) (Granting DiPippo's post-conviction petition and ordering new trial based on the actual conflict of interest of his trial lawyer failing to disclose that a suspect in the crime, Howard Gombert. was a prior client of his, and his ineffective assistance of counsel for failing to conduct any investigation of Gombert as the possible assailant." |
Information Location 4: |
"https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17335413204252048149&q=Anthony+DiPippo&hl=en&as_sdt=6,48" |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org