1st witness called in wrongful conviction lawsuit

The first witness was called in the lawsuit of a former Peekskill man who spent half his life in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Jeffrey Deskovic, who served 16 years behind bars for rape and

News 12 Staff

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Oct 16, 2014, 1:38 AM

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Updated 3,765 days ago

The first witness was called in the lawsuit of a former Peekskill man who spent half his life in prison for a murder he didn't commit.

Jeffrey Deskovic, who served 16 years behind bars for rape and murder, is suing Daniel Stephens, a retired Putnam County investigator, and Putnam County itself.

Stephens administered a polygraph test to Deskovic after his Peekskill High School classmate Angela Correa was murdered in 1989.

"Stevens crossed the line," says Desovic's attorney. "He made up a lie... Like most lies, these lies couldn't last forever."

He alleges Stevens intimidated the then 16-year-old Deskovic into confessing by lying about evidence connecting Deskovic to the murder.

The evidence allegedly never existed, and the confession helped lead to the conviction of Deskovic.

Stevens' attorney said Desokvic didn't remember all the details, and told jurors, "You have the right to push back when someone says you did something you didn't do."

The first witness to take the stand was Deskovic's polygraph expert, who testified Stephens' lie detector technique was as accurate as flipping a coin.

It's not clear how much in damages Deskovic is seeking if the jury decides in his favor.

Stephens is set to take the stand Thursday.