Innocence Blog

Today on Oprah: Marty Tankleff discusses false confessions

Posted: October 20, 2008 11:50 am

Marty Tankleff served 17 years in a New York prison for the murder of his parents before new evidence proved his innocence. He was a teenager when he woke up to find his mother dead and his father unconscious in the family’s Long Island home. His father would die weeks later in a hospital, and officers immediately treated Tankleff as a suspect. During an intense interrogation, Tankleff told officers he may have “blacked out” and committed the crime. He was convicted and sentenced to 50 years to life.

Today he will tell his story as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and discuss reforms that could prevent false confessions and admissions like his. Visit Oprah’s website for local listings and more information.

Read more about the recording of interrogations here.