NEW YORK (VINnews) — A Brooklyn judge has overturned the murder conviction of Carl Miller, declaring him innocent in the 1979 killing of Rabbi David Okunov and formally clearing him during the Passover period.

The ruling vacates Miller’s 1980 conviction and dismisses the charges, ending a decades-long legal battle. Miller, who was a teenager at the time of his arrest, spent years in prison and consistently denied any involvement in the killing.

Okunov, an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, was fatally shot while walking to morning prayers in Crown Heights, a crime that stunned the local community.

The case was largely built on testimony that later raised credibility concerns, while other witnesses did not identify Miller as the attacker. In reviewing the case, the judge found the evidence insufficient to support the conviction and concluded Miller did not commit the crime.

The decision marks a rare legal finding of actual innocence, a higher threshold than simply overturning a conviction.

The killing drew widespread attention at the time, with large crowds attending the rabbi’s funeral, including Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who publicly mourned the loss.

Prosecutors have a limited window to appeal the ruling. The case, now decades old, may remain unsolved