Recently, there has been a concerning trend of attacking criminal convictions without considering the evidence or due process errors. A particular case that exemplifies this is the conviction of Chanel Lewis for the horrific sexual abuse and murder of Howard Beach jogger Karina Vetrano in 2016. Defense attorney Ron Kuby filed a 65-page court brief, which merely added to the meaningless criticism of the conviction. Some journalists jumped on board, calling the DNA lab involved in testing an “outside, unlicensed” lab, condemning the police tactics as a “racial dragnet,” and questioning the verdict reached by a Queens jury in 2019. The Queens District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, and the DNA lab has yet to respond.
Let’s address the facts: Chanel Lewis indisputably murdered Karina Vetrano. His DNA was found on her neck, under her fingernails, and on her cellphone, which had been discarded by her killer. Karina Vetrano tragically lost her life while jogging in Howard Beach in August 2016. Lewis confessed to the crime on videotape to an African American detective and the deputy bureau chief of the Queens DA’s Homicide Bureau. The day after the murder, Lewis sought medical attention for an infected wound on his fist, identified as a classic “boxer’s injury.” This injury correlated with the beating inflicted upon Karina, resulting in a cracked front tooth. Kuby’s claim of a “racial dragnet” leading to Lewis’ capture is baseless, despite being repeated in numerous news articles. The case of Vetrano’s murder remained unsolved for several months until an off-duty police lieutenant recalled encountering a suspicious individual in Howard Beach. Police stopped and questioned this individual, later identified as Chanel Lewis through their records. After obtaining Lewis’ consent, the police obtained a DNA sample, which matched the DNA found at the crime scene.
The police had legitimate reasons to focus on Lewis, as testified during the trial, but we are being asked to disregard these facts and instead give credence to attention-grabbing claims made in Kuby’s brief. One of these claims is that the DNA lab used by the police was an “outside,” “unlicensed” lab, creating the false impression of an unreliable operation. In actuality, it was a highly respected DNA lab in Virginia, renowned for solving cold cases nationwide. The lab’s analysis determined that the killer was a black male. Kuby argues that this prompted the police to conduct a racially biased investigation. However, it is essential to note that none of the Virginia lab’s work was utilized during the trial. All relevant DNA analysis was conducted by the NYC Medical Examiner’s Office, conclusively demonstrating that Lewis was the perpetrator.
Kuby conveniently ignores the fact that in the initial stages of the investigation, many of Karina’s white family and friends willingly provided DNA samples. He complains that non-felon black individuals had their DNA tested as well, without acknowledging that Lewis himself had no criminal record, thus his DNA was not present in the NYPD database. If the police solely focused on DNA samples from convicted criminals, Chanel Lewis would have evaded justice for this heinous crime. This is the current state of criminal justice in New York: the worst is brought out in defense advocacy when it comes to cross-racial crimes, regardless of their rarity. The priority seems to be finding ways to attack the police, the prosecution, or the “system,” rather than seeking the truth of guilt or innocence. This approach is truly shameful.
Jim Quinn, who served as executive district attorney in the Queens DA’s Office for 42 years, wrote this piece.
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