On Friday, September 27, 2024, the Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department upheld the decision of the Erie County Supreme Court granting ECBAWM’s motion to vacate Brian Scott Lorenz’s conviction for the murder of Deborah Meindl.

In 1994, Mr. Lorenz and his co-defendant were found guilty of killing a woman in a Buffalo suburb. However, in 2018, DNA tests showed neither man’s DNA at the scene of the crime and a hearing revealed that prosecutors failed to turn over critical evidence to the defense. Based on this new DNA evidence and the prosecution’s violations of Mr. Lorenz’s constitutional rights, the Erie County Supreme Court threw out his conviction in 2023 and ordered a new trial. On Friday, the Appellate Division definitively rejected the District Attorney’s appeal of the Supreme Court’s decision, concluding in their Memorandum and Order that the DA’s claims “are without merit.”

This decision marks one step closer to obtaining justice for Mr. Lorenz, who remains in prison. Mr. Lorenz is represented by Ilann Maazel and Emily Wanger.

Press:
“Appeals court affirms decision to vacate convictions in Meindl murder case,” The Buffalo News.
“His Murder Conviction Was Overturned. Why Is He Still in Prison,” The New York Times.
“Judge Orders New Trials for 2 Men Convicted in Grisly ’93 Murder,” The New York Times