A young father of an infant and a toddler, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez walked into a New York City police station in 1999 thinking he was helping solve a murder.

His father, who had died recently, had been a police officer and Velazquez trusted the system. Plus, he was on the other side of town when the crime occurred.

“It was the last choice I made as a free man,” Velazquez said.