Wrong Man Released After 6 Years Case Mimics Hitchcock Film

In a turn of events worthy of the Hitchcock film, "The Wrong Man," about a Jackson Heights musician sent to prison for a crime he never committed, a 40-year-old convicted Queens rapist was set free last week by the State Supreme Court in Kew Gardens after it was proven the victim wrongly identified him.
Lee Anthony Long of Jackson Heights is home today after six years in prison. His rape conviction was overturned in State Supreme Court, but not until he was imprisoned for rape. Ironically, his release was made possible by District Attorney Richard Brown, the prosecutor who brought the case against him on March 20, 1995.
The Jackson Heights mans case mirrors the classic Hitchcock film, "The Wrong Man," set in Queens when former Queens District Attorney Frank OConnor, then a lawyer, successfully defended a Jackson Heights musician, played by Henry Fonda, who was convicted and imprisoned for a robbery he didnt commit. Eventually, the right man, one who looked like the original defendant, was arrested for the crime and the musician was released. OConnor went on to win election as Queens County District Attorney.
Longs arrest on the night of June 7, 1994, was based on the fact that he was wearing almost the identical outfit as that worn by the rapist. He was identified by the victim in the back of an ambulance that was taking her to the hospital.
"Thats him, thats him!" she screamed when she saw Long. An arrest and conviction followed and Long was sentenced from 8 to 24 years for rape, sexual abuse and robbery.
The victim had worked late that night in a Manhattan office building and took the No. 7 train home. About 20 minutes later, she arrived at 69 Street and Roosevelt Avenue and as she climbed into her parked car there, man opened the door and threatened her with the knife.
When arrested, the stunned Long said to the arresting officers, "You know I didnt do this, man. You know I didnt do this."
He served his time at Sing Sing, Attica, Green Haven, Clinton, Franklin and finally the Greene County Correctional Facility.
Longs release last week followed four hearings over the past three months. The judge heard testimony that seemed to make a strong case for Longs innocence. Significant evidence showed he was the wrong man and, after a plea by Brown, the charges against him were dropped.
After Judge Joseph Golia took the unusual step of freeing Long, a construction worker, Long said his immediate plans were to "be with my family and get some strawberry ice cream."
Upon leaving court he shook hands with his Legal Aid lawyer, Seymour James and prosecutor Greg Lasak. As Long walked out of court, he said, "I prayed. I prayed every day to God."
District Attorney Brown issued a statement after Long was released:
"At the behest of the Legal Aid Society, we agreed to reinvestigate the matter and consented to a post conviction hearing which concluded last month centering on the issue of the rape victims identification of the defendant. Today the court vacated the judgment of conviction and has freed Mr. Long. It is a decision in which I concur.
"Mistaken identification probably accounts for more miscarriages of justice than any other single factor in criminal prosecutions perhaps it is responsible for more such errors than all other factors combined."
In the Hitchcock film, the Queens musician was finally cleared by OConnor. But the resulting trauma of the case sent the wrong mans wife into a psychotic episode, necessitating hospitalization. Eventually, she recovered and the couple moved from Jackson Heights to Florida.
"The Wrong Man" was Hitchcocks first fact-based film.