⚖️ The Gutter Report: Hearing Granted — Paul “London” Thompson Wins a New Opening in Court
Court filings show prosecutors have conceded key issues in Thompson’s post-conviction motion, opening the door to a long-sought evidentiary hearing after more than two decades behind bars.
🧑🏾⚖️ Inside Richmond County Supreme Court, where Paul “London” Thompson will return as his case moves forward.
📄 WHAT THE COURT RECORD NOW SHOWS
Staten Island, New York — Recent court filings in People v. Thompson reflect a decisive procedural shift. The Richmond County District Attorney’s Office has conceded portions of Paul “London” Thompson’s CPL §440.10 motion, formally acknowledging that specific post-conviction claims warrant judicial review.
According to the paperwork, the People conceded that Thompson is entitled to a hearing on claims involving:
Newly discovered evidence, and
Constitutional violations grounded in Brady and Napue doctrine.
Other claims raised in the motion were contested. Even so, the concessions alone move the case out of prolonged delay and into active litigation.
🏛️ Richmond County Supreme Court, Staten Island — where the next stage of this case will unfold.
⏳ THE DELAY — AND WHY IT MATTERED
The CPL §440.10 motion at the center of this case was filed more than a year ago. The record reflects repeated requests by the prosecution for additional time, leaving the motion unresolved for months.
Eventually, Judge Marina Cora Mundy, who is overseeing the matter in Richmond County Supreme Court, imposed a final deadline, signaling that further delay would not be tolerated. When the People submitted their response on December 19, they did so with partial concessions — a significant departure from the extended inaction that had defined the case up to that point.
📅 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Based on the current posture reflected in filings:
February 23 — Defense counsel is scheduled to submit a reply addressing the claims the prosecution contested.
60–90 days thereafter — The court is expected to rule on the motion and/or formally set the evidentiary hearing process.
For the first time in years, the case is no longer stalled. It is now on the court’s clock.
🧾 GRAND JURY & TRIAL IRREGULARITIES RAISED IN THE MOTION
The post-conviction motion raises serious questions about the integrity of the original prosecution.
▪️ Grand Jury Integrity
The filings argue that material witness information was withheld, impairing the integrity of the grand jury process and presenting a distorted narrative to indict.
▪️ Mistrial vs. Retrial
The first trial resulted in a mistrial, reportedly after jurors viewed video evidence that conflicted with the prosecution’s theory. At the retrial, that same video evidence was excluded, materially altering what jurors were allowed to consider.
▪️ Evidence Handling & DNA Issues
According to the motion:
Chain-of-custody concerns exist for key physical evidence
DNA recovered from critical items allegedly did not match Thompson, the victim, or Sean Berry — the individual charged alongside Thompson in the same case
Partial DNA mixtures involving multiple contributors were introduced without full context
The filings argue these issues were suppressed, mishandled, or never fully disclosed.
⚠️ WITNESS COERCION ALLEGATIONS (PROTECTED)
Sworn statements referenced in the filings allege:
Witness intimidation during the investigation
Pressure placed on juvenile witnesses
Recantations supported by affidavits
For the protection of all individuals involved, no witness names are published in this report.
🧠 THE APPEALS HISTORY — AND THE HEARING THAT NEVER CAME
The case previously reached the New York Court of Appeals, where relief was denied. The current motion revisits unresolved constitutional issues using new affidavits and evidence that were not before the court at that time.
The filings further assert that an earlier hearing on similar violations was denied after Thompson refused to surrender his appellate rights — a claim now central to the renewed post-conviction effort.
💸 HOW THE EVIDENCE WAS UNCOVERED
The court record further reflects how the newly discovered evidence at issue was uncovered.
According to filings and supporting documentation, federal COVID-era stimulus payments issued to incarcerated individuals were used to retain a private investigator whose work led to the identification and location of a key witness now central to the post-conviction motion.
The record notes that stimulus checks authorized under both the Trump and Biden administrations were issued to incarcerated individuals nationwide. Thompson specifically directs that it be stated on the record that he personally thanks President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden for issuing those stimulus payments, which made the investigation possible.
The irony is unmistakable: public funds issued by the federal government ultimately financed the investigative work challenging the conviction itself. What began as pandemic relief money evolved into legal ammunition — a dynamic explored in depth in The Gutter Report: When Stimulus Checks Reached the Inside and Turned Into Legal Ammo, which documents how incarcerated individuals leveraged stimulus funds to pursue justice, retain legal assistance, and reopen cases long presumed closed.
🧠 Paul “London” Thompson — steady through decades of pressure, still standing on his claim of innocence.
🧱 WHY THIS MATTERS
This is not symbolic progress.
The court record now reflects prosecutorial concessions acknowledging that constitutional violations must be examined in a hearing — something Thompson has sought for more than two decades.
After years of delay, the case is no longer frozen.
It is moving forward.
Not for clicks — for clarity.
— Elliott Carterr, LFTG Radio
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