1995 Oneida County Murder Conviction Upheld

The Oneida County District Attorney's Conviction Integrity Review Panel recently concluded its review of the 1995 conviction of 45-year old Michael Brown of Utica.

Brown was convicted of second-degree murder in the November 1993 death of 75-year old Carmela Mastrangelo, who was found beaten to death inside her apartment at the Six Nations apartment complex.

The panel was created in 2013 to review past convictions in light of advances in technology and police investigative techniques.

In early 2013, attorneys for Michael Brown contacted the district attorney’s office claiming Brown was wrongfully convicted and alleged that evidence collected at the crime scene would exonerate their client.

To support their claim, the attorneys requested that some of the evidence found at the original crime scene be re-examined using the latest DNA technology.

DA Scott McNamara says the review, which included DNA evidence, does not support Brown's claim that he was wrongfully convicted.

McNamara says in fact, the results of the additional DNA testing corroborated the forensic and scientific evidence relied on by the jury nearly 20 years ago.