QUEENS D.A. TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE WRONGFUL CONVICTION IN 1996 DRIVE-BY SHOOTING

Queens prosecutors have agreed to open a “full investigation” into the possible wrongful conviction of Tejpal Singh for a 1996 drive-by shooting.

The case dates back to Aug. 25, 1996, when two men, Kamaljit (Goldie) Singh and Ramjit (Rocky) Singh were shot in a drive-by in the Richmond Hill section of Queens.  Goldie died, but Rocky survived.  He and another eyewitness, Sukjinder (Kala) Singh, identified Tejpal Singh as the triggerman.

According to the Daily News, a private investigator recently recorded Rocky saying he really didn’t know who shot him and that he was pressured by prosecutors to finger Tejpal.  The investigator also said that Kala Singh told him if he said what had really happened that night it would help overturn the conviction, but he only offered to tell the truth if paid.

Additionally, the investigator tracked down the driver of the black SUV from which the deadly shots were fired — he not only told the investigator that Tejpal was not even in the car, but he identified two others as the real triggermen.

To make matters worse, an ex-NYPD sergeant has sworn under oath that he wanted to arrest somebody else for the crime but that prosecutors wouldn’t let him, and that a detective’s DD-5 form that could have undermined the prosecution’s case against Tejpal was never produced to his attorney.

Singh is currently serving 25 years-to-life sentence.