17 years for nothing
MAN CLEARED IN 2002 SLAY
Bladimil Arroyo spent nearly half his life behind bars.
On Friday, he walked out of a courtroom a free man after Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez vacated his 2002 murder conviction because a review found he didn't receive a fair trial.
“This is a second chance at life, and I gotta appreciate that,” Arroyo, now 39, said as he left a short court hearing clearing him of killing a man outside of a Sunset Park strip club. “I appreciate what they did, and otherwise it would have not worked out like this.”
Arroyo was overcome with emotion as Judge Matthew D'Emic granted the defense's motion to vacate the conviction. Decked out in a blue tie and light blue shirt, Arroyo turned to his mother, kissed her on the head and wiped a tear from her eye.
He attributed his strength throughout the years in jail to “hope” and his mother. “She was by my side the whole time," he said.
An investigation found that Arroyo had been deprived of a fair trial because the only direct evidence against him was a confession he made that did not match the facts of the case.
In the predawn hours of Sept. 16, 2001, Gabor Muronvi and a friend were walking near the since-shuttered Sweet Cherry strip club. They were held up, a brawl ensued and Muronvi suffered a gunshot wound that took his life.
Arroyo was busted after police followed a car from the crime scene, leading to him and a co-defendant, who was injured during the confrontation with the victim and his friend. A doctor told police that the victim had died from a stab wound to the heart.
Arroyo confessed to attempting to rob the two men — and to stabbing Muronvi “in the upper chest.” He was charged that afternoon with murder and related counts. But the next day, an autopsy showed the cause of death was a single gunshot to the chest.
The confession was used in court by prosecutors, who suggested to the jury that Arroyo was trying to downplay his role in the robbery gone wrong. He was convicted in November 2002 of second-degree murder, attempted robbery and assault and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
“The stabbing could only have been the product of information that was supplied completely and wholly by the police who were interrogating Mr. Arroyo," Assistant District Attorney Mark Hale said.
He added, “The people have no confidence in the integrity and the veracity of the police account of how the confessional statement came about.”
Gonzalez noted, “While we cannot say that Mr. Arroyo was not involved in this crime, a thorough investigation . . . concluded that he was deprived of a fair trial.”
Arroyo said he has big plans for his life and wants to concentrate on his true love — art.
His mother is just glad he's coming home. "I'm very, very happy to have my son,” Milagros Montalvo said. "I got my son back, that's it. I need him."