Martin ("Marty") Tankleff (born August 29, 1971) is a Long Island, New York, resident who was convicted of murdering his wealthy parents, Seymour and Arlene Tankleff, on September 7, 1988.[1] After 17 years of imprisonment, his conviction was vacated and he was released from prison.
Before the Suffolk County District Attorney dropped the charges, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer appointed[2] New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as special prosecutor in the case. From his staff, Cuomo selected Chief Trial Counsel, Benjamin Rosenberg, and veteran homicide prosecutor, Thomas Schellhammer, to reinvestigate the case.[3] On June 16, 2008, Rosenberg announced the results of the Attorney General's investigation. "The issue in this case is not whether there is evidence," he said to Justice Doyle, "but whether there is sufficient evidence." Rosenburg then announced: "The people move to dismiss the indictment." In the same motion, prosecutors announced they would not proceed against suspects identified by Tankleff's defense team, revealing that, "on balance, the defense theory does not appear to be supported by clear evidence." The Attorney General dropped the charges against Tankleff. [4]
On July 22, 2008, Justice Doyle concurred with the Attorney General's motion to dismiss. All charges facing Tankleff were dropped; he would not face retrial.[5]