Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, the wrongly convicted ex-con who now appears alongside Colman Domingo in the A24 prison drama Sing Singwas officially acquitted in a 1998 murder case.

Velazquez reportedly beat his chest and pumped his fist as Judge Abraham Clott formally cleared him of the charges in a Manhattan courthouse on Monday morning.

“With the consent of the Nation, I grant the petition to overturn the verdict based on newly discovered evidence,” Clott said.

Velazquez is among them Sing Singa group of actors consisting of former prisoners. The action of the drama takes place in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where Velazquez falsely spent 23 years. He was released in 2021 when his sentence was commuted.

In a statement today, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg said Velazquez, 48, who was wrongly convicted of the 1998 murder of 59-year-old Albert Ward, “has lived in the shadow of his conviction for more than 25 years.” and I hope that today will bring a new chapter for him.

According to Bragg, on January 27, 1998, two people robbed an arcade on Frederick Douglas Boulevard in Harlem. During the robbery, Ward, a retired police detective, pulled out a gun and a fight broke out with one of the armed robbers, who identified himself as “Tee.” Ward was ultimately shot and killed by “Tee”. Years after Velazquez’s conviction, DNA testing of the betting slip that “Tee” had before shooting Ward cleared Velazquez of the crime.

The Velazquez case has been the subject of various topics NBC Data Line reports over the years.

Today outside the courthouse, Velazquez, 48, wearing a baseball cap with the words “End Error” on it, told reporters: “I’m lucky that so many people believed in me.”