- brian arnold, one of the greats. so consistent year after year. - yeah, matt, that's textbook. i mean, that's exactly the technique you're supposed to implement there. - and brian arnold gets through. - yes! [cheers and applause] - now facing an obstacle he's never seen before: the circuit board. - yeah, there you go! - come on, brian! - and this is where the rock climbing experience should help. - remember, his buddy ian dory finished this course. brian arnold wants to do it too. this is a competitor in brian arnold that can dead hang for a long period of time. he's got to stay calm, see it, map out a plan. - and brian arnold looking as strong as ever. - ooh, ooh, oh. navigation recalculating right now. - look at that. a misstep but doesn't even flinch. - matt, look at the technique. look how he keeps his l. i mean, he's already now on his second panel and has not broke his l right there. - he is defying gravity.

- you know how strong and how hard that is? all: brian! brian! - and the crowd chanting his name. all: brian! brian! brian! brian! - looks like he's gonna go for an early dismount. - come on, brian! - and he's through! [cheers and applause] brian arnold hoping to be just the second finisher of the night, but now facing the invisible ladder, an obstacle he's never tried before. [both yelling indistinctly] and right now he is well ahead of ian dory's time. - and i know he wants to make it all the way to the top. he's not gonna be the guy that didn't make it. he wants to be right there with ian dory. - and he's up. - gonna need that willpower. he's closing his eyes. - ten feet. - he doesn't want to feel the pain. he doesn't want to see the pain. - 20 feet! - it will take moxie. get the elevator punching up to 30 because he's making his way all the way to the top. and there he is. - wow. - yeah! [howls] - brian arnold is going back to vegas

and he has the fastest time of the night! the wolf pack howl. - [howls] - brian arnold, could this be his year? - yeah! - well, i don't want to say he could do this in his sleep, but look at him on the invisible ladder. his eyes are closed, but he still found his way to the buzzer. - yeah! - he's standing by with kristine. - brian, you made that course look very easy. you went through it so precisely, and so focused. did you feel that going in tonight, that you were gonna have just such great luck on it? - you know, with all my experience on the course i'm learning how to control my emotions and just the mental side of it. that is the biggest side of it, and plus i train with the wolf pack. [howls] - [howls] - you're right, that's not luck, that's just precision and dedication. brian, your goal this year, what is it? - i want to push that button on top of mount midoriyama. - well, you are two buttons down.

we are going to see you in las vegas. i am hoping that this is your year. - thank you very much. - matt and akbar, back to you. - whoo! wolf pack! - so brian arnold climbs to the top of the leaderboard more than a minute faster than the other finisher, ian dory, and fellow wolf pack member meagan martin is not far behind. remember, the top 15 will move on to the national finals. well, what's jake murray gonna do on the course tonight? we have no idea, but i'm sure he'll be fast and he'll be fun. we'll see his run next on "american ninja warrior."

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- welcome back to the indianapolis city finals of "american ninja warrior." well, buckle up because our next athlete is not only one of the best ninjas, he's also one of the most unpredictable. this is jake murray, the colorado wedding photographer who loves to go fast and that need for speed extends to his transportation. - so i picked up a new set of wheels. [hip-hop music] it's the first car i've owned in six years, so it's a pretty big deal to me.

she's a turquoise beauty with a lot of character. ♪ a 1995 ford aspire. [engine revs] fastest car in denver. [engine revs] she set me back $600, but she's worth it. she has some dents and dings but she's not perfect, like me. [quirky music] if i was to win "ninja warrior," i would not invest in a new car. i'd keep driving this until it dies, you know? i can definitely see myself driving at the top of mount midoriyama. ooh-hoo-hoo! turn it up! - well, maybe jake can drive that car to vegas if he does well here. - i'm not sure that car could make it across denver, let alone all the way to vegas. but he might try it. - yeah! come on! - there's jake's girlfriend carissa, and fellow ninja jennifer tavernier. jake murray had the second fastest qualifying time, and not wasting any time here tonight.

ooh, bit of a violent ending, but he survives. - ooh, boy, keep your headband on. that rolling log shook him up a little bit. - well, jake murray's runs have become must-see tv. he always has fun, he always goes fast. he's a true showman, and now goes right onto the fly wheels. - well, he may not look like an athlete, but jake murray is for real. - started out as a walk-on two years ago. now up there with the best. - yeah, he's got aspirations to make it all the way to the top. and it starts here in the finals in indy. - indianapolis has been an unbelievable city. the performances, this course has brought out the best in them. - come on, jake. - come on, jake murray, run around that loop. - easily through the disc runner. now the swinging spikes. 2013, took a three-month solo motorcycle trip through denver to panama. - are you serious? - he just said it was something he always wanted to do. definitely a free spirit.

all: jake! jake! jake! jake! jake! jake! jake! jake! - jake murray. he's got a big group out here tonight along with his parents as he faces the warped wall. - i see you, jake the snake murray. both: oh! - one hand, back. - what? - oh! - that's just beautiful. that was beautiful. - what? [cheers and applause] and then he does a flip! jake murray putting on a show tonight for the folks here in indy. - all of that and he's still got a good time going as he faces the salmon ladder. - but that's what "american ninja warrior" is all about, akbar. the creativity, the fun that these guys have. - yeah, well, creativity definitely was on display there. that was impressive. - and continuing to impress through the salmon ladder. - all right, this is where he needs to get serious here on the hourglass drop. both: ooh!

- wow, he hit his head on that. - and he hit hard, but he's holding on and still going. all: jake! jake! jake! jake! - jake murray showing his toughness, and makes it to the second board, but look at how that board is tilting to one side. you know how challenging that is, but he gets through. akbar, i want to see that jump again. - okay, check this out. he gets a big bounce and boom, right on the side of his face. i don't know how he held on. - and now ready to take on the circuit board, this brand-new obstacle that no one has seen before tonight. jake murray has climbing experience. he trains with the wolf pack. they've been working hard on his upper-body strength. - yeah, you look at jake murray here taking a different approach. doesn't have the same type of form that we saw with brian arnold with the ls. we see him getting just straight down there, but staying calm here. remember, those locked arms, especially the dead hang, that's the conduit to get him in and out here of the different canals. - 5:09.145. good strength to weight ratio.

those arms fully extended, but you really can't go quickly through this obstacle. you're hanging up there for a long time and it just wears you down. - but i can tell you, the focus here that's required, so much attention to detail here because this puzzle sometimes can be hard to figure out when you're under that kind of stress. - wow. he's going for the dismount, akbar. oh, he's got it! - oh, my goodness! - what a performance! and now jake murray is 30 feet away from finishing this course. he'll face the invisible ladder for the first time in his career. - you can do it, son. - right now he's got a shot to beat brian arnold's time, but he's gonna need to get moving. - you can do this, jake. you've got this. all: jake, jake, jake, jake! - and here he goes, the former walk-on now a ninja star trying to be a finisher tonight. - are you looking at how fluid this is? - wow, he is flying!

he's got a shot at arnold's time. [cheers and applause] - get up there, jake murray! - and he's got it! - he beats brian arnold's time by three seconds. the fastest finish of the night! [cheers and applause] jake murray punched his ticket to las vegas in convincing fashion. - that's got to be our pom wonderful crazy healthy run of the night. jake murray did a backflip over the warped wall, then did a front flip coming down. despite all the fun, managed to finish with the fastest time. - he's standing by with kristine. - jake, congratulations. - thank you, kristine. - jake, it looked like you were having such a great time out there. you even had some time for some backflips. did you just feel more confident than ever? - i felt pretty good. i wasn't sure how it was gonna go with the hourglass drop. i hit my face pretty hard but... - oh, are you okay? - other than that--yeah, i'm fine. - how confident are you feeling about las vegas? - very confident. - ooh, i like that.

okay, well we're gonna see how you do in the finals in las vegas. jake, congratulations. - thank you, kristine. - matt, back to you. - well, it's gonna be a fantastic finish because up next we're gonna see adam arnold and then lorin ball, two of the fastest from qualifying are gonna try to out-race each other to the buzzer and we'll see it next on "american ninja warrior." to discover the power of the it's a golhuman hand.nity, the ability of a lexus master craftsman... to turn an ordinary experience into an extraordinary one. ♪ for a limited time get some of the best offers of the year on our most refined vehicles. at the lexus golden opportunity sales event. this is the pursuit of perfection.

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- wof the indianapolis citying finfinals.nts while we were away two more athletes tried to grab a spot in the top 15, colorado college student t.c. tronquet has the nickname big foot for his oversized feet. super wide feet. - all right, keep it together. - but it was his hands that let him down on the swinging spikes. t.c. splashes down. matt wilder got thrown for a loop at the rolling log. - ooh, that threw him right onto the other level, what? - whoo! - but the colorado climber still made it to the hourglass drop. - ooh, just got rejected. - and that may be good enough to get him a trip to vegas. - yeah! - good effort, matt! - and we've got a blistering run on the course right now. - wow! [cheers and applause] this is last year's walk-on hero adam arnold... - good job, nice and easy! - well, at this point

he must get up the salmon ladder. - guy's got to get going. ooh, right there on the tip on that third rung there. - wow, he is way ahead of every other athlete's pace to this point. - yeah, that's right, but has to be careful at the hourglass drop. we've seen it take out a lot of competitors tonight. - but arnold is up. this is looking like his run in last year's orlando city finals. - all right, keep it together. keep it balanced. keep it even. new balance there, good. find your way. adam arnold, serious, he wants it right now. - and moving onto the circuit board. has got his fiancée on the sidelines. and how adam arnold's life has changed. last year he was an unknown who gave up his job, drove from missouri to orlando to compete as a walk-on. he ended up finishing the brutal city finals course and is one of only two people to do it. - we call him the walk-on warrior. - that run was epic. nice.

he's just got to figure this one out right here. this maze, this crazy physical maze. - well, the circuit board, one of the most challenging obstacles we've ever had in "american ninja warrior" but i think it epitomizes the sport. it's not just the physical challenge, it is the mental challenge as well. - you can imagine, matt, after this season this will pop up in everybody's backyard. this will be on playgrounds. with such a simple design, but so insidious-- - that's simple to you? this isn't simple. this is crazy. - at this point only four athletes have survived this obstacle tonight. - i can't believe it. look at that. and he's showing it. he's making his mark here. - adam arnold making it look easy. now facing the invisible ladder. and remember he faced this obstacle last year in orlando and he was able to beat it. - [yells] - he's way ahead of jake murray's pace to this point, and here he goes. adam arnold, the maintenance worker

from missouri trying for another miraculous run. - yeah, he looks like he still has a lot of energy. - he is annihilating the invisible ladder. - he just got to 20 feet right now. he's at 22 feet. - oh, but there it is, fatigue catching up to him. - oh. right about 24 feet there. - five more feet to go. - come on, keep fighting. you're going for the fastest time, zone out. - what does he have left? - zone out and hope, hone in your skill. - adam arnold fighting! - he's almost there, matt. come on. you've gotten this far now. - he's done it! [cheers and applause] the man who was a walk-on standing tall on the tower in indianapolis. - whoo! - matt, adam arnold might want to quit his job again because he has a legitimate shot to get $1 million. he got about 2/3 of the way up and just died. he looked like he would not make it, but dug deep and clawed his way to the top. the fastest finish of the night. - whoo!

- but arnold's finish means the k9 ninja, dog-lover roo yori, is now on the bubble in the 15th spot. and the bad news for him is that the final runner is lorin ball, only the fastest finisher from qualifying, but ball has made mistakes in the past, so here we go. lorin ball, is an all-or-nothing guy. - hold up, what is he doing with the chair? - well, he is a break dancer. likes to make things interesting. - what is this all about? - lorin ball taking a seat. - get your popcorn ready. but now the fun's over. he needs to get serious for this course. buckle your seatbelts. whoa, bounding through the floating steps, the fastest we've see anybody get through the floating steps, and he definitely is going for that fast time. - well, lorin ball known for speed, but keep in mind speed killed two years ago in denver. ooh! [both yelling at once]

[dramatic music] - a shocking ending, and roo yori can't believe it. he's going to vegas because lorin ball went out on just the second obstacle. i'm speechless. - we say it all the time, you can't take any obstacle for granted. lorin ball got through this in qualifying but it looks like he just let go of the log too early. and now the fastest finisher from qualifying will miss out on going to vegas. - that was weird and unexpected. - well, a shocking end to a great night here in indy. we had four finishers in all: adam arnold, jake murray, ryan arnold, and ian dory. the rest of the top 15 is made up of those who got the furthest the fastest, including meagan martin, who's now the second woman to qualify for the national finals this season. we'll see all these athletes in vegas in a few weeks. next week it's the oklahoma city finals where we'll see super stars daniel gill

and brent stephenson. plus 54-year-old jon stewart will try to be the oldest athlete ever to qualify for vegas. for akbar gbajabiamila and kristine leahy, i'm matt iseman, and we'll see you next time on "american ninja warrior."

not after 15 days of interrogation, but after several hours. >> yeah, like most people you can't possibly fathom admitting you did something you did not do. >> reporter: nobody does that. >> nobody would think they are capable of doing it, but the truth is a skilled interrogator could probably get you or i to admit we kidnapped the lindburgh baby. >> reporter: in the summer of 2010, hughes wrote an article about hincapie's story for a magazine called city limits. >> i published an article on the 20th anniversary of the murder and nobody really cared. >> reporter: and the years continued to pass. >> lester, we've been in prison with johnny for 24 years. >> yeah. all our family. >> reporter: alex is johnny's younger he was 15 when johnny was arrested. >> i pray for my brother every single day. we all do.

>> reporter: like his parents, he never believed his brother was guilty. >> it was just a shock to all of us. just watchin' my parents, what they went through it was heartbreaking, especially my dad, goin' into my brother's room, kissing the pillow at night. that's been in my memory for many years. >> reporter: johnny? so this is home? >> no, i wouldn't call it home. my home is with my family on the outside. >> reporter: how old are you, johnny? >> i'm 42. >> reporter: you've spent more than half of your life behind bars? >> yes. it's terrible. being separated from your family. that's probably the worst thing. >> reporter: throughout his incarceration, hincapie has been a model prisoner. he's been involved with an inmate theater program. >> i don't know, i've been tired lately.

>> reporter: and he took college courses offered at the prison, which is where he met a man by the name of bob dennison. >> he said, "i don't know if you know anything about my case." and once he started, i said, "of course i do. everybody knows about the case." >> reporter: dennison is the former chairman of new york state's parole board. >> he showed me the article that bill hughes had written about him. >> reporter: did he tell you he was innocent? >> he did. he told me he was innocent. >> reporter: and you rolled your eyes, thinkin' -- >> no, i -- >> reporter: yeah? >> yeah, i did. but somethin' about johnny stuck with me. so dennison decided to reach out to hughes. and all of a sudden, hincapie had a former parole commissioner and a reporter teaming up to re-investigate his case. >> we laughingly referred to ourselves at the white irish guy gumshoe squad. we were pounding around queens looking for potential witnesses. >> reporter: after nearly a year of searching, they found one. a man who said he knew the truth about johnny hincapie. >> we sat down in his kitchen, and he was shaking. he was visibly nervous. >> we sat at his table and he started crying.

>> and he took out a napkin, and he drew a map of the subway station and he remembered as if it was clear as a recent event. >> reporter: they knew what this witness told them, if true, was a bombshell. but neither dennison nor hughes is a lawyer so they got in touch with one, new york city's well known civil rights attorney ron kuby. >> they said look, we know there's no money to pay you. but he's an innocent guy, would you take the case? so i said yes. >> reporter: kuby's first task was to talk with that witness. his name is luis montero. >> luis montero offered proof that johnny did not commit the crime. >> reporter: would the court agree? luis montero is about to tell a harrowing story. >> i heard screaming. >> did you see him go on to the platform?

>> reporter: the mystery of what happened on this subway platform so long ago took a new twist with a new witness named luis montero.

>> this is a three level subway station. >> reporter: montero had been in the subway station during the crime and told attorney ron kuby a story that backed up johnny hincapie's account of the night brian watkins was stabbed. >> montero establishes not only did johnny not participate in the attack, he could not have participated in the attack. >> reporter: and that's established by what luis saw from where we're standing. >> that's right. >> reporter: based on montero's story, kuby filed a motion for a new hearing, and 24 years after he went away, hincapie got his wish -- a manhattan supreme court judge agreed to reopen his case. >> people of the state of new york vs. johnny hincapie. >> reporter: in february of 2015 the hearing was called to order. for this proceeding, the burden was on hincapie's attorneys, ron kuby and his co-counsel leah busby to convince judge eduardo padro that hincapie's conviction should be vacated.

>> reporter: leah, who's your first witness? what is it you? you need to prove? >> luis montero was the first witness, and he was there to prove that he saw johnny at the time the crime took place, and johnny wasn't there. >> how long had you known mr. hincapie? >> maybe a year, give or take. >> reporter: montero testified he was also on the subway headed to the dance club. >> what was your relationship with mr. hincapie like? >> we knew each other but we didn't know each other that good. >> reporter: in fact they haven't seen each other or spoken since then. to understand montero's story it's important to understand how the subway station is laid out. the platform level is where the trains come in -- and where the crime took place. one long flight up from the platform is what's called the turnstile level and then a final set of stairs get you to the street.

montero says that hincapie was not on the platform when the crime happened, but one flight up on that turnstile level with him. >> what did you say to each other? >> he asked me for this other guy that came in, if i seen him. >> reporter: montero testified about specific details that matched hincapie's version of events. >> he was looking for the other guy because he supposedly had some money for him. >> reporter: another detail that matched hincapie's story, montero said hincapie began going down this up escalator which kuby says wasn't working at the time seconds later, montero says, something caught his attention. >> all of a sudden i hear commotion, screaming. >> reporter: montero said that's when he saw hincapie turn around and run back up. if true, it means hincapie could not have been near the crime scene.

>> did you see him go onto the platform? >> no. >> reporter: so why hadn't montero come forward before now? kuby says montero was terrified because as it turned out he had been wrongfully accused of this very crime. >> he was held in jail for 18 months awaiting trial on this crime. he was identified by a member of the watkins family and then they realized that watkins was not sure and 18 months later, they say to luis montero, "gosh, wrong guy, sorry about that" and they turned him loose. >> reporter: but to kuby perhaps the most compelling part of montero's testimony is how he says detectives tried to coerce a false confession from him. the very same thing hincapie says happened to him. >> they just started to hit me, around the kidneys and slapped me every time i said something they didn't want to hear.

they just hit me. that's when the nightmares started. >> reporter: but montero never cracked and maintained his innocence. kuby argued to the judge that what montero and hincapie say happened to them was easy to believe. that they were just two of many innocent people swept up by police at a time in new york history when crime was out of control simply in the wrong place, in the wrong era. >> we've done some terrible, terrible things to innocent people in the course of fighting crime. >> reporter: case in point, kuby argued the central park jogger case. that other so-called wolfpack. just like hincapie, those five teens had also confessed on tape but they were exonerated in 2002 after dna cleared them. >> defense now calls johnny hincapie. >> reporter: now, the time had come for hincapie to tell his story, under oath, on the witness stand, something hincapie says his original trial attorney advised him not to do.

>> i wanted to take the stand. he told me that the district attorney's office would basically just walk all over me because i had confessed. >> reporter: he testified about how he left the station and went back down to look for his friend who was holding his money. >> i gave him my wallet complete with all my money. >> reporter: and for the first time in a courtroom he accused police of coercing a false confession from him. >> he slapped my face. he grabbed me by my hair. >> reporter: hincapie said he even had proof that he tried to recant his confession almost immediately. jailhouse letters, including one letter dated two days after his arrest telling the same story he tells today. "please believe me, please help me. please talk to the judge and tell him that i am telling the truth, that the detective told me to say everything."

>> is there anything else that you'd like to add? >> i was just 18 years old when this happened and i never had a chance. i never had an opportunity, your honor, from the moment that i was arrested. not one chance. >> reporter: as the prosecution got ready to present its case hincapie's mother, maria, leaned on her faith, as she has from the beginning. >> you know, we been separated for 24 years. i pray to god that johnny will be exonerated, and we will be finally together. >> reporter: coming up, a witness contradicts a key element to johnny's story. that friend says he's lying. how do you respond? >> reporter: then a last-minute twist could up-end the whole case. >> she's a surprise to me. she's a surprise to everyone. >> reporter: when "dateline" continues.

- even parents need a time out sometimes, especially from communications technology. so why not spend one hour totally unplugged? read, talk, make art, or whatever. no batteries required. >> reporter: manhattan assistant district attorneys eugene hurley and ben rosenberg didn't work hincapie's original trial.

but they say hincapie is a liar and that justice was served 25 years ago. to make their point, prosecutors cross-examined hincapie's witnesses, starting with luis montero. >> good morning, mr. montero. >> good morning. >> reporter: assistant da ben rosenberg pointed out that over the years, details in montero's story have changed. >> that is what you swore to here, correct? >> yes, it's right there. >> so is your testimony here today is inaccurate? >> reporter: and that in all these years montero never once mentioned seeing hincapie at all that night and that montero's wrongful arrest gave him a motive to lie. >> your experience in this case dating back 20 plus years, you are angry about it, aren't you? >> i am not angry about it, i am just scared. >> you are still scared? >> yes, you kept me in jail for

18 months, you think i am not going to be scared of you guys? i am petrified of you guys. you know, i can't even look at you guys. >> and you're angry, aren't you? >> no, i'm not angry. i'm scared of you. >> reporter: prosecutors had their own witnesses to discredit hincapie's story who did not want us to record their testimony remember that friend who hincapie said was holding his money that night? >> i gave him my wallet complete with all my money. >> reporter: that friend's name is anthony nichols and he testified that hincapie never gave him any money to hold. looking for anthony nichols is supposedly the whole predicate for the defendant going back into the subway station or going down to the platfrom. but mr. nichols says, didn't happen. i asked ron kuby about that. that friend tells the prosecution that johnny's lying. he never gave him money. how do you respond to that? >> right, well that friend also told ms. busby admitted on the stand he told miss busby that he just didn't remember. >> reporter: hurley argued to the court that hincapie was lying about something else. he says the escalator that hincapie says he ran down was working just fine and it was moving up, not down.

>> he made the ridiculous claim, "he went down the up escalator." >> reporter: but perhaps the most dramatic part of the hearing was prosecutor hurley's cross-examination of johnny hincapie himself. hurley argued that hincapie was making up the whole story about falsely confessing. >> and it is the first time that you have ever alleged to a court that your confession was coerced by detective casey physically abusing you and making you memorize a story. is that correct? >> correct. >> the detective wasn't called to testify, but we tracked him down. and he denied ever abusing hincapie. >> reporter: hurley moved on to that letter. >> please believe me. please help me. >> reporter: the one hincapie says he wrote to a lawyer two days after his arrest. hurley argued it wasn't really written back then. >> the date is on the letter. >> the date 1990 could have been put in 2011, right?

>> no. >> reporter: and that it was conveniently addressed it to an attorney who is now dead. >> in fact you waited for him to pass away to forge that letter to him, didn't you? >> not at all, sir. >> reporter: prosecutor hurley also ridiculed his story about being coerced into confessing by an abusive detective. >> he was wearing a t-shirt, smoking cigarettes, right? >> yes. >> like some evil movie cop? >> yes. >> you made that up, didn't you? >> no. >> reporter: hurley argued that hincapie knew details about the crime not because he was coerced, but because he was there. >> they said, "lets get paid." >> you heard him say, "lets get paid?" >> yeah. >> you know they said that because you were there and it was true, right? >> it was not true, mr. hurley. >> you were there, and knew it was true, right? >> no it was not. >> reporter: the prosecutions case was over. hincapie's fate was now in the hands of the judge and that's when ron kuby got a phone call.

>> a new witness came forward who had never spoken to anybody before. >> this is your surprise witness? >> total surprise. >> reporter: this is your perry mason moment. >> she's a surprise to me. she's a surprise to everyone. coming up, a new eyewitness. but which side will she help? >> she saw all of the attackers. she knew what johnny looked like. >> and then, after a quarter century, johnny learns his fate.

>> reporter: witness testimony had just ended in johnny hincapie's hearing when his attorney ron kuby notified the judge of an unexpected development. >> amazingly enough, during the course of the hearing itself, a new witness came forward, a young woman named mariluz santana. >> reporter: santana told kuby she had recently read an article about hincapie's court hearing. >> and she realizes, "oh, my god. he's still in prison. i can't believe it." >> reporter: santana said she knew hincapie from her neighborhood and was on the subway that night, headed to the dance club, and saw the robbery unfold. >> so she's standing here. she sees them surrounding the watkins family. and at that point, she starts to flee. >> reporter: as she ran past the attackers, she said she saw them all, and is certain hincapie was not one of them.

>> reporter: she said when she heard the news of hincapie's arrest back then, she even told her mother he was innocent, but santana says she was afraid to come forward. >> reporter: so mariluz remained silent? >> silent. completely silent, except for telling her mother. so she doesn't get involved, but she's figured, "well, you know what. johnny wasn't there. the police will sort this out." and she sort of forgets about it. >> reporter: but now, 25 years later, santana took the stand, but didn't want us to record her testimony. prosecutors attacked her credibility, pointing out santana was convicted of a drug charge back in the 1990s. and they argued just because she didn't see johnny, doesn't mean he wasn't there. >> reporter: is it not possible she just missed seeing johnny in the confusion on the platform, that he was there, and she just didn't notice it? >> absolutely impossible. she saw all of the attackers. she knew what johnny looked like, and johnny was not among them.

>> reporter: it would now be up to judge eduardo padro to decide a case that brought up critical questions about police conduct in a different era. i asked nypd's current commissioner bill bratton about that as everyone awaited the judge's decision. >> reporter: given the climate in the city, the climate of fear and political pressure, was there pressure on detectives to just cast a wide net in the -- in these high-profile crimes? >> i don't think so. in the sense is there pressure? certainly. but as to the idea to -- go over the threshold, you can't break the law to enforce it. >> reporter: so does he think the police crossed that threshold with johnny hincapie? >> reporter: if the court exonerates him, would you have different views on the watkins case? >> i don't have enough intimacy as to his particular case. i have no reason to not be supportive of the police investigation. >> reporter: two weeks ago, the day came for judge padro to

announce his decision. hincapie's family and friends, along with the media, filed into manhattan supreme court to learn his fate. in a packed courtroom, hincapie was clearly anxious as the judge began to read the decision. >> under the newly discovered evidence, the court does find the defense has born the burden of proof. the court is going to set aside the conviction. >> reporter: the judge threw out hincapie's conviction. in the decision, the judge said hincapie failed to prove that he was actually innocent, but the judge did find hincapie's witnesses persuasive enough to grant him a new trial. but that didn't mean he'd walk free just yet. prosecutor eugene hurley asked the judge to send hincapie back to prison while the d.a.'s office considered its options for appeal, and whether it will retry him.

>> we ask that the defendant be remanded. >> reporter: ron kuby was steaming. >> let's not ignore that mr. hincapie has been incarcerated for 25 years, 1 month, and as of today, 3 days. he's made a quarter century liberty down payment. >> reporter: the judge ultimately agreed to release him on a token $1 bail. >> the court will allow him -- >> please, please, come to order. >> reporter: hincapie and his family were overcome with emotion. he was led away to be processed for release, but that would take nearly six hours. downstairs, his mother maria waited. a quarter century ago, she stood in nearly the same spot, in shock after her son was convicted of murder.

now, here she was again. this time with her family and a crush of reporters to witness her son's first steps into freedom. two brothers, separated as teenagers, now reunited as middle-aged men. there were two other men among the crowd who hincapie wanted to find. bill hughes and bob dennison, the self-named "irish guys gumshoe squad" who launched his journey to freedom. >> i owe tremendous, tremendous love, energy, gratefulness to these two individuals. >> welcome home, johnny. >> cheers, cheers. >> i'm so happy you're home.

>> wow, this looks good. >> reporter: his first meal? stuffed filet of sole. his 20-year-old niece -- >> this is your first selfie. it's a thing now. >> reporter: -- who was born when he was already in prison, introduced johnny to his first selfie. how are you doing? >> overwhelmed. >> reporter: we stepped outside to talk about what his first hours of freedom were like. >> i've been thinking about how beautiful it is to be free again in new york city. watching the cars go by, the lights in the trees. it's a lot of nostalgia, you know, and i'm grateful for it. >> reporter: so where does the truth live in this story? >> look at the sky up there, johnny. >> i know. >> reporter: for johnny hincapie, it lives in this moment. >> you gotta love it at the end of the day. you know, this is a dream come true. >> reporter: and one thing is

for sure -- the city he now rejoins is much different, and much safer, than the one he left behind 25 years ago. in the end, the police commissioner says that has a lot to do with what happened on that subway platform. >> i truly believe that the death of that young man was the propelling catalyst for the new york miracle that we've experienced the last 25 years. >> that's all for now. i'm lester holt. thanks for joining us. next at 11:00, a call for unity. >> our job now is to see that strong democratic platform implemented. >> the resistance from bay area bernie sanders supporters next. =raj/vo=

right now at 11: a passionate plea for unity. how the democrats hillary clinton will make an outstanding president, and i am -- >> a passionate plea for unity, how the democrats are trying to unite following a day of in fighting. >> the news at 11:00 starts now. good evening, and thanks for being with us. >> plenty of cheers for bernie sanders and first lady michelle obama, will it help hillary clinton? we have live team coverage tonight. we begin with steve