Brett Klein Retained to Prosecute Landmark Unjust Conviction Claim

Civil rights attorney Brett H. Klein has been retained by Adrian Thomas to file a claim against the State of New York seeking unspecified damages for an unjust conviction based on a coerced confession, as well as federal civil rights claims against the City of Troy, New York, and the Troy detectives who coerced said confession.

In 2008, Adrian Thomas was wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his 4-month old son, for which he served five years in prison. He was found not guilty in a second trial after a bellwether decision by the New York State of Appeals, which found that he had been coerced by unrelenting detectives into making a false confession. His conviction was then vacated, paving the way for his acquittal.

“Coerced false confessions have resulted in untold wrongful convictions nationwide,” said Klein. “Adrian Thomas’ family suffered a tragic loss when their baby died from a bacterial infection, which was further compounded by the loss of their father for five years while he served time for a crime that simply did not occur. The police department’s policies that allowed detectives to manipulate him into giving a false confession must be reformed, and the City of Troy and its detectives must be held accountable.”

Thomas’ story is documented in “SCENES OF A CRIME,” an acclaimed documentary that explores the nearly 10-hour interrogation that culminated in his disputed confession, which was the crux of his appeal and the eventual not guilty verdict. The documentary is currently available on Vimeo.