MSNBC reports the 81-year-old retired landscaper was relinquished of the 1964 murder conviction by Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson in New York on Monday (May 2). “Paul Gatling repeatedly proclaimed his innocence even as he faced the death penalty back in the 60s,” Thompson said in a statement. “He was pressured to plead guilty and, sadly, did not receive a fair trial.”
Gatling was nearly given the death penalty for the shooting of artist Lawrence Rothbort in Crown Heights. The well-known artist was shot in the chest when a gunman burst into the home he shared with his wife Marlene Rothbort. Gatling, a 29-year-old Korean War veteran at the time, was accused of the crime after a witness claimed he was in the area when the shooting happened.
