In 1990 Chaim Weinberger was a courier for Pan American Diamond Company. On February 8 he left his apartment with a 50-pound suitcase filled with diamonds which was headed for the Dominican Republic in order to be cut into jewelry. As he headed to his car, he noticed a tall blond man approaching him with his face covered… when the man reached the car he pulled a gun. Mr. Weinberger put his car in reverse, hitting the man, then drove off in great haste.
The would-be robber then saw a man, Rabbi Werzberger, in a parked car nearby. Fearing the Rabbi saw what had happened, went over to the car and shot him, then he stole the car.
David Ranta was later identified as the would-be robber and the murderer of Rabbi Werzberger. The problem is however, it appears that the witnesses who testified against Mr. Ranta, identified him as the killer, and picked him out of a lineup were all coerced in some way to identify Ranta. They lied to the police, they lied at trial… they lied in order to convict Mr. Ranta. It appears that the lead investigator, Detective Louis Scarcella was instrumental in the coercion… that he instructed witnesses to lie, and told them who to pick out of the lineup.
Mr. Ranta has spent twenty-three years in prison. This week district attorney Charles Hynes, who was the attorney who convicted Ranta in 1990, asked a state judge to throw out Mr. Ranta’s conviction and initiate his immediate release.
On Thursday David Ranta walked out of prison a free man.