Man Cleared in a 1996 Brooklyn Killing Said for Decades He Knew Who Did It. Prosecutors Now Agree

Steven Ruffin (C), who served 14 years in prison for a deadly 1990s shooting, speaks to the media in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Jan. 18, 2024, after he was was exonerated. Jennifer Peltz/AP Photo

NEW YORK—A man who served 14 years in prison for a deadly 1990s shooting was exonerated Thursday after prosecutors said they now believe the killer was an acquaintance he has implicated for decades.

“I lost 14 years of my life for a crime that I didn’t commit,” Steven Ruffin told a Brooklyn judge after sighing with emotion.