Letters from Sing Sing
In December of 2002, NBC News producer Dan Slepian got a letter from a New York state prison. It was from a man serving 25 years to life for murder. And it ended with a desperate plea: look into my case. Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez had been convicted of killing a retired New York City police officer, but he insisted he didn’t do it. Dan was skeptical. Prosecutors said five eyewitnesses had sworn JJ was the killer. Could five people be wrong? So Dan began to dig. What he discovered went far beyond just JJ’s case. And 20 years later, it’s still unfo...
Episodes
Introducing: The Last Appeal
Hey NBC News Studios fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for The Last Appeal an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Lester Holt.In this series, Lester Holt takes listeners inside the urgent case of Robert Rober…
An all-new season of ‘Dateline: Missing in America’
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for season 4 of ‘Dateline: Missing in America.’ The award-winning podcast series is back with a brand-new season and 6 brand-new cases.Correspondent Josh Mankiewicz reports on missing person cas…
Special Preview: "The Sing Sing Chronicles" Documentary Series
"Letters from Sing Sing" Host and "Dateline" Producer Dan Slepian gives a special preview of "The Sing Sing Chronicles," a special two-night event presented by MSNBC Films. Building on decades of Dan's investigative reporting, the four-part…
Last Stop on the Road to Freedom
In this bonus episode of the award-winning Letters from Sing Sing podcast, veteran producer Dan Slepian reflects on the final chapter in J.J. Velazquez’s hard-fought path to full exoneration after being wrongfully convicted of murder over t…
Dan Slepian reads an excerpt from “The Sing Sing Files”
Hear an exclusive audio excerpt from Dateline producer Dan Slepian’s new book “The Sing Sing Files” which chronicles his two-decade journey navigating the criminal justice system to help free six innocent men. Available now wherever books …
An all-new season of ‘Dateline: Missing in America’
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Season 3 of Dateline: Missing in America. The chart-topping podcast series is back with a brand-new season and brand-new cases. Are you the key to solving a mystery? Correspondent Josh Mank…
BONUS: Season 2 of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra”
As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of the second season of the award-winning original series, “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra.” In the chart-topping second season, Rachel Maddow returns to uncover the shocking history …
Introducing Dateline: True Crime Weekly
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Dateline: True Crime Weekly, an all-new weekly podcast series. Every Thursday Dateline correspondent Andrea Canning and her guests dive into the biggest crime stories of the week, bringing y…
Dateline presents: Murder in the Hollywood Hills
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Murder in the Hollywood Hills, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline. In this story Keith Morrison takes us to the city of dreams, where a smooth-talking predator lured young wome…
Special preview of Into America presents: Uncounted Millions
On Into America presents: Uncounted Millions: The Power of Reparations, award-winning MSNBC correspondent Trymaine Lee dives into one of today’s most pressing debates: reparations. Months ago, Trymaine discovered the little-known story of G…
Dateline presents: Mortal Sin
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Mortal Sin, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline.Dawn and Nick Hacheney are the perfect couple: spiritual, loving, and devoted to the church where Nick is a pastor. When Dawn is …
BONUS: Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News
As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News,” a new original podcast series from MSNBC. In each episode, Rachel Maddow and co-host Isaac-Davy Aronson seek a deeper understanding of a story…
An all-new season of ‘Dateline Missing in America’
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Season 2 of Dateline: Missing in America. The chart-topping podcast series is back with a brand-new season and brand-new cases. Are you the key to solving a mystery? Correspondents Josh M…
Special Preview: New episode of Tiffany Dover Is Dead* Podcast
As a preview for Letters from Sing Sing listeners, here’s a sneak peek from a special new episode of Truthers: Tiffany Dover Is Dead*, an NBC News podcast about misinformation and conspiracy theories. Nine months after the series ended with…
The Apology
In August of 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo grants JJ executive clemency. Three weeks later, JJ steps out of Sing Sing a free man. But he wasn’t exonerated. In the eyes of the law, he was still a convicted felon. Within the first 24 hours of h…
The Call
In 2017, JJ finally gets some good news. After years of denials and setbacks, he would appear before a judge for the first time since his conviction. A new judge would determine whether JJ’s rights were violated when the prosecutor at his t…
Friendship
By 2015, JJ had been locked up for nearly 18 years. His mom, Maria, drives to Sing Sing to visit him on his 40th birthday and reflects on how much it hurts to watch him age in prison. In the last decade, JJ has built a rich life in prison i…
Integrity
It’s been eight months since Dan’s investigation into JJ’s case aired on Dateline. When he visits JJ at Sing Sing, JJ is frustrated—he thought he’d be out by now. But the Manhattan DA is looking into his case. In 2010, Manhattan DA Cyrus Va…
Peer Pressure
Dan tracks down Juror Number Six: Ramon Aviles. Ramon remembers the moment when the 84-year-old eyewitness, Dorothy Canady, pointed him out as the shooter. He says he was shocked and that people were laughing. The juror breaks down what he …
Eyewitnesses
It turns out, back in 1998, just days after the crime, the NYPD had a main suspect for the murder of Al Ward: a man named Mustafa. Dan tries to find out more about Mustafa and understand why this lead was dropped after JJ’s name entered the…
74 Minutes
JJ Velazquez claimed he had an alibi: a 74-minute phone call on a landline with his mother, Maria Velazquez, that overlapped with the time of the crime. So Dan visits Maria. She lives in a town in New York on the Hudson River directly acros…
JJ
In December of 2002, NBC News Producer Dan Slepian got a letter from a New York State maximum security prison. It was detailed and meticulous, almost like it had been written by a lawyer. It was from a man serving 25 years to life for murde…
Introducing: Letters from Sing Sing
In December of 2002, NBC News producer Dan Slepian got a letter from a New York state prison. It was detailed and meticulous, almost like it had been written by a lawyer. But it wasn’t. It was from a man serving 25 years to life for murder.…