Man Convicted in 1989 Killing of Black Teen Will Present New Evidence

It was one of the most racially charged murder cases in New York City history: A mob of white teenagers armed with baseball bats and a gun set upon Yusuf Hawkins, a Black 16-year-old, one summer night in 1989 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, touching off months of furious protests.

Joseph Fama, who was convicted of fatally shooting Mr. Hawkins, has long insisted that the authorities, squirming under pressure for a conviction, wrongfully pinned the murder on him.

Now, after 35 years behind bars, Mr. Fama has persuaded a Brooklyn judge to grant his request for a new hearing to present evidence that he hopes will establish his innocence.

“This guy got framed,” Mr. Fama’s lawyer, Justin Bonus, said on Wednesday, adding that his client had not even been part of the mob that attacked Mr. Hawkins. He said that someone else involved in the attack had shot the teen.

While the decision is a victory for Mr. Fama’s legal team, his road to exoneration is still a steep one. Brooklyn prosecutors disparaged the appeal largely as a rehash of failed legal claims. A conference will be held on Nov. 21 to set parameters and a date for the hearing.

Mr. Bonus said a dozen people had provided sworn statements or testimony to back up the innocence claim of Mr. Fama, 53, who has already had two appeals and two attempts at parole denied.