BOSTON (WHDH) - Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins on Tuesday dropped the remaining gun charge against Sean Ellis, a man who spent more than 20 years in prison for the killing of a police officer before his conviction was overturned.
“Today marks the end of a long and troubling chapter in Boston’s history,” Rollins said in a statement. “The Ellis family has suffered in this process.”
After Suffolk Superior Court Judge Robert Ullman threw out the gun conviction, called for a new trial, and said “justice was not done,” Rollins filed a nolle prosequi, which officially brought an end to the criminal case against Ellis.
“To say that I’m overjoyed is an understatement. I actually shed a couple of tears in private,” Ellis said after learning of Rollins’ decision. “It feels like a new day for me…It’s an amazing feeling.”
Ellis was found guilty in the 1993 killing of Boston Police Det. John Mulligan, but a judge in 2015 ordered a new trial on the murder and armed robbery charges after finding authorities failed to disclose evidence of corruption among investigating officers.
Prosecutors announced in 2018 that they would not retry Ellis but the 1995 firearm convictions remained on his record.
In March, Rollins filed a motion asking the court to grant a new trial for Ellis so her office could drop his remaining gun conviction and put an end to the long-running legal saga, which she said was “tainted by significant and egregious police corruption and prosecutorial misconduct.”
In the statement, Rollins added, “We need to continue to work together as law enforcement partners to make sure the criminal and unconstitutional behavior that infected every part of the investigation into Detective Mulligan’s death, can never happen again. I am committed to doing just that. Filing a nolle prosequi is part of that commitment.”
Attorneys Rosemary Scapicchio and Jillise McDonough say they are considering suing the city on behalf of Ellis.
Ellis’ fight to prove his innocence was documented in the Netflix series “Trial 4.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)