Man jailed for murder, 14 years ago, set to be freed after sole witness confessed that she lied

A federal judge has thrown out the murder conviction of a Queens man, Tullie (Birdie) Hyman, imprisoned since 2002 for shooting a tenant patrol leader to death, after Shaquana Ellis, the sole witness whose testimony resulted in Hyman’s conviction, admitted that she was threatened at gunpoint to finger Hyman. .

Hyman has maintained that he is innocent and that he was falsely implicated in the shooting. Ellis said she could not identify who made the threat because she claimed he was wearing a bandana across his face. She said she came forward because “I’ve been living with this lie for years, and I want the truth to be told.”