Conviction tossed for man held 33 years for New York murder
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A man who spent more than half his life in prison for a 1975 New York murder has had his conviction overturned.
The judge’s ruling Wednesday says that Keith Bush’s conviction was tainted because prosecutors didn’t disclose that police had interviewed another possible suspect in the Long Island murder.
Bush was 17 when 14-year-old Sherese Watson’s body was found in a vacant lot in North Bellport.
He was convicted of murder and attempted sexual abuse and spent 33 years in prison. Bush was paroled in 2007 but has had to register as a sex offender.
After Bush’s lawyer sued for case records, authorities turned over a statement from the other potential suspect, now dead, saying he’d stumbled over Watson’s body.
A review convinced Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini that the conviction should be overturned.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.