On March 11, 2026, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP and Hiles Hoffman secured a decision from the New York Appellate Division, Second Department, vacating the 1999 murder conviction of Anthony Sims and ordering a new trial. The court held that newly discovered evidence — including a new eyewitness and the recantation of key prosecution testimony — creates a probability that a jury would have reached a different verdict.

The Appellate Division reversed a Kings County Supreme Court ruling that had denied Sims’s motion to vacate his conviction. The court concluded that the newly discovered evidence, considered together with the trial record, undermines confidence in the verdict and warranted vacatur of the conviction and a new trial.

Anthony Sims was convicted in 1999 of second-degree murder in connection with the 1998 shooting death of Li Run Chen, an employee at a Brooklyn Chinese restaurant, and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The prosecution’s case relied primarily on testimony from another man present in the restaurant and an eyewitness who described two men running from the scene.

During post-conviction proceedings years later, a previously undisclosed eyewitness testified that she saw the other man leaving the restaurant with a shotgun immediately after the shooting and had reported this information to police shortly after Sims’s arrest. In addition, a key trial witness later recanted portions of her testimony, stating that detectives pressured her during questioning. The Appellate Division concluded that this evidence could have led a jury to reach a different verdict.

Sims spent more than two decades incarcerated before being released on parole in December 2022.

“Today, my 28-year nightmare is finally over,” said Anthony Sims. “The court’s decision to reverse my wrongful conviction is not just a victory for me, but also a testament to the power of unwavering support. I am eternally grateful to my incredible family, the tireless legal team, and every supporter who stood by me and never lost faith. While I am overjoyed to finally walk free, my relief is tempered by the profound frustration I feel toward a judicial system that took over two decades of my life. This system needs a lot of work, and my hope is that my case will serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for reform so that no other innocent person has to endure what I have.”

“This is a victory for justice,” said Ilann M. Maazel, Partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP. “Anthony Sims is innocent. He was always innocent. He should never have been charged with this crime. Finally, after all these decades, the system worked.”

ECBAWM Attorneys Ilann M. Maazel and Sam Shapiro, along with attorneys at Hiles Hoffman PLLC, represent Anthony Sims.

To watch the oral argument, click here.

Press Coverage:

“After 28 Years Trapped in a Legal Nightmare, Anthony Sims Is No Longer ‘Guilty,’” HellGate

“NY Court Grants New Trial For 1998 NYC Restaurant Murder,” Law360

“Brooklyn man’s conviction for killing restaurant worker over uncooked chicken overturned,” New York Daily News

“Brooklyn ‘Undercooked Chicken’ Murder Case Roars Back As Court Orders New Trial,” hoodline

“Brooklyn Man’s Murder Conviction Overturned,” BK Reader