New York Man Files Suit in Vermont for Wrongful Conviction

One year after a Vermont judge overturned the conviction of a New York man after DNA evidence proved his innocence, he has filed state and federal lawsuits against police and prosecutors who built the case against him in the 1994 murder of his wife.

 

John Grega was vacationing with his wife and young son in West Dover, Vermont, when his wife’s body was found strangled and sexually assaulted nearly 20 years ago. He was convicted within a year and served 18 years behind bars until DNA testing revealed skin cells from an unknown male and not Grega.

 

CBS New York, in conjunction with the Associated Press, reported that Grega’s attorneys filed the lawsuits last month, claiming his 1995 conviction was based on flawed police work and unconstitutional actions by investigators.

 

“Mr. Grega’s wrongful conviction was no accident, but rather the result of unconstitutional and tortuous acts by the defendants to this lawsuit, as well as policies, customs, and practices that were deliberately indifferent to Mr. Grega’s civil rights,” the federal lawsuit said, according to CBS New York.

 

Grega was released from prison two years ago and, his conviction was dismissed one year later. In the lawsuits, he claims that two investigations into his case were botched and that evidence was not properly handled. The state suit asserts that as a result of his years in prison, he now suffers from post-traumatic stress and acute anxiety disorder and is constantly worried that he will be arrested. Neither suit seeks specific damages.

 


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