Ruling on Murder Case by Judge Suffering From Dementia Will Stand, Court Says – By Joe Sexton (ProPublica) / Mar 5 2021
Nelson Cruz, who has maintained his innocence for two decades, wanted a hearing to determine if the judge handling his case had been impaired. His request was rejected.
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A New York judge has rejected the claim of a Brooklyn man who said his bid to have his murder conviction overturned was mishandled by a judge later found to be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Judge Raymond Rodriguez of State Supreme Court said he found no evidence that his former colleague’s illness had affected her decision to deny the man’s motion to have his 1999 murder conviction vacated.
Judge ShawnDya Simpson went on medical leave in September 2019, days after her decision in the murder case. In July 2020, after she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, she retired from the bench as part of an agreement struck with the Commission on Judicial Conduct. The decision ended a once-bright legal career for Simpson, who was just 54 and whose rise from the housing projects of Brooklyn had been hailed as an inspiring tale for young women of color.
