Facts About David Wong's Case
On March 12, 1986, an inmate named Tyrone Julius was stabbed to death in Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York. Over 700 similarly dressed inmates were in the yard at the time of the murder; however, only David and Tse Kin Cheong, the only other Asian inmate in the prison, were apprehended for questioning.

Despite the lack of motive or any physical evidence linking David to the murder of Tyrone Julius, David was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in August 1987.

There was also no motive linking David to the murder of Tyrone Julius. Tyrone Julius had been transferred to Dannemora only two weeks before his murder; David never met nor had any reason to see Mr. Julius dead.

The medical examiner testified that Mr. Julius’ wound was so deep that the assailant’s clothes would have been soaked with blood. Both David and Mr. Cheong were strip-searched immediately after the murder, but no weapons or blood was found on either individual. The actual murder weapon was never found.

David was convicted based on the testimony of a prison guard who claims to have witnessed the murder from over 100 yards away. Originally stating that a white inmate had committed the murder, the guard later stated that the murderer was Asian. The second witness testifying against David, inmate Peter Dellfava, received a letter from the DA recommending parole in exchange for his testimony against David. Recently, the inmate recanted his testimony.

David has maintained his innocence to this day.