When Martin Tankleff was only 17, his parents were murdered in their Belle Terre home on Long Island, New York. When he needed help from adults the most, he was subjected to a frightening interrogation as the primary person-of-interest. Traumatized, exhausted, and confused, he was pressured into making a false confession, which ultimately led to his conviction in 1990.

It would take 18 years, but Marty eventually won his freedom and proved that his parents were killed by organized crime to conceal a money laundering operation. His long journey to freedom inspired top law firms to re-investigate his case, revealing that corruption and conflicts of interest were likely central to his conviction.

From failures to recuse and bribery allegations to joint business ventures between family members and investigators, this strange case has every twist and turn of a Netflix documentary. Today, Marty is a lawyer fighting for the innocent. This is his incredible story.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio – Cloud-Based Legal Technology.

Written by:
Laurence Colletti