Two men convicted in 1980 in the brutal 1975 killing of a Far Rockaway woman are back in a Queens courtroom, asking a judge to wipe their records clean and upend a case that has stirred debate for decades. Marcus Washington and Herbert Sims, now in their late 60s, argue that newly surfaced material and recanted witness statements dismantle the prosecution’s original theory and raise fresh questions about who really killed Mary Galligan.
A new petition in Queens
The motion, filed earlier this month, asks a Queens judge to vacate the convictions and formally exonerate Washington and Sims, according to New York Daily News. Defense attorneys say the filing includes previously unseen records and sworn statements that were not available to the jury in 1980. The petition lists Richard Emery and Charles Linehan as counsel for the two men.
Centurion's findings
Centurion Ministries, which has pored over the case for years, says its reinvestigation uncovered admissions by members of the Boston family that point to Derek Boston and Alvin Boykins. That includes an account that Derek allegedly confessed to his brother while incarcerated, according to Centurion Ministries. The nonprofit also details multiple witnesses who later recanted or claimed their trial testimony came under pressure from police.
DA's office defends the conviction
The Queens District Attorney's Office says it took another look at the case and closed its review after finding material that, in its view, undercuts the new claims. Brendan Brosh, a spokesman for DA Melinda Katz, told New York Daily News that prosecutors still believe the jury got it right the first time.
A long, contested case
Firefighters found the body of 71-year-old Mary Galligan in a fifth-floor Far Rockaway apartment on December 4, 1975. An autopsy determined she had been strangled before the fire, and investigators recovered a tapered table leg that Centurion says was used as a weapon, according to Centurion Ministries. Washington and Sims were arrested in 1979 and convicted the following year. Both later secured parole after spending decades in prison, the group’s timeline notes.
What the petition asks
The new filing urges the court to overturn the convictions and clear Washington and Sims, arguing that recanted testimony, newly produced records, and the Boston-family admissions amount to materially new evidence. Their lawyers are asking for an evidentiary hearing in Queens Supreme Court so a judge can weigh whether this information would likely have changed the jury’s verdict.
Legal stakes
If a judge grants the petition, the convictions could be vacated, although prosecutors can still fight the motion by leaning on the original trial record. The case highlights the tightrope Conviction Integrity Units walk when trying to reconcile aging evidence, shifting witness accounts, and third-party admissions in high-profile cold cases.
Next steps
The petition is currently pending in Queens, and a court date has not been publicly announced. Whatever the outcome, the filing drags a nearly 50-year-old Far Rockaway murder back into the spotlight and ensures fresh legal and public scrutiny of how the investigation and prosecution were handled.
