Detective Michael J. Foley |
The incident led to the wrongful conviction and nearly to the execution of New York resident Isidore "Beansy" Zimmerman.
In 1938, Zimmerman and four other men were convicted of the murder and sentenced to die in the electric chair. The case against Zimmerman rested on testimony of alleged accomplices who received immunity from prosecution, a common occurrence in high-profile cases handled by the office of District Attorney Thomas Dewey. Those witnesses stated that, while Zimmerman was not present when Detective Foley was shot, he had planned the armed robbery that resulted in the fatal shooting.
On the day scheduled for execution, Governor Herbert Lehman commuted Zimmerman's sentence to life in prison. "Beansy" was taken from Death Row and evaluated for emotional problems by medical staff before being moved to the prison's general population. He spent the next twenty-three years in penitentiaries - Sing Sing, Auburn, Dannemora and Green Haven. Bitter over his treatment and emotionally scarred from his near-execution, Zimmerman was an uncooperative prisoner and frequently served disciplinary terms in solitary confinement.
Isidore 'Beansy' Zimmerman |
In January 1961, the New York State Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Zimmerman. Prosecutors decided not to retry the flawed case. Zimmerman was released from prison in February 1961. The original indictment against him was dismissed in March 1967.
In 1981, two decades after he was released from prison, New York Governor Hugh Carey agreed to permit a Zimmerman lawsuit. Zimmerman won a court judgment of $1 million in the late spring of 1983. He was left with $660,000, after paying off his large legal expenses. He had little time left to enjoy the money. He bought a new car and took a short vacation in the Catskills before he died.
Sources:
- “Detective is slain battling 4 thugs,” New York Times, April 11, 1937, p. 21.
- “Indicted in police death,” New York Times, April 23, 1937, p. 2.
- “Five are convicted in police killing,” New York Times, April 15, 1938, p. 11.
- “5 young bandits sentenced to die,” New York Times, April 23, 1938, p. 32.
- “3 die, 2 are spared for hold-up death,” New York Times, Jan. 27, 1939, p. 42.
- Howard, Jane, “Wrong man in jail,” LIFE, May 15, 1964, p. 57-64.
- “Resigns as Dewey aide,” New York Times, Dec. 31, 1941, p. 20.
- Isidore Zimmerman v. City of New York et al., Supreme Court of New York, Special Term, New York County, 1966, ny.findacase.com, accessed May 5, 2016.
- “Jacob J. Rosenblum dead at 73; Dewey homicide bureau chief,” New York Times, Jan. 24, 1971, p. 65.
- Zimmerman v. State of New York, Court of Claims, 76 Misc. 2d 193, 1973, casetext.com, accessed May 5, 2016.
- “What price a Zimmerman?” New York Times, June 5, 1983.
- McFadden, Robert D., “Isidore Zimmerman, 66, man unjustly jailed for a murder,” New York Times, Oct. 14, 1983.