Postal Worker Patsy Finally Freed

The wrongdoing by the alleged "mafia cops" - NYPD detectives who allegedly worked as mob hitmen - may have extended to their own detective work. Barry Gibbs, a former postal worker who had been accused, convicted, and imprisoned for 19 years for the murder of a prostitute, was set free because it turns out that then Detective Louis Eppolito had induced a witness into picking Barry Gibbs out of a line up, even though the man the witness had seen at the scene was smaller and shorter. Gibbs had maintained his innocence since his 1988 conviction, and contacted the Innocence Project for help. And when Eppolito, as well as partner Detective Stephen Caracappa, was indicted in March, attorney Barry Scheck recognized his name and went to the Brooklyn DA's office to relook at the case. And Newsday noted Gibbs' dining plans:

Gibbs, who is Jewish, told reporters he was hungry and wanted to go out and have a big lobster dinner.

"Traife!" said Scheck in mock horror, referring to the kosher prohibition on eating shellfish.

"You can always atone for your sins," Gibbs said with a smile.

The NY Times reports that when asked if he knew what a Starbucks was, Gibbs said, "I don't know what a cellphone is. I don't know what freedom is." It's pretty amazing, not to mention distressing, to read about; we hope there's a longer article, because there are facets we're wondering about, for instance, Gibbs had been selected out of a police line up...was he just randomly chosen for the police line up, or was he in the area?

Photograph from Newsday