MEDIA ALERT: "DATELINE" INVESTIGATION ON JON ADRIAN VELAZQUEZ FEB 12 7PM EST

NEW YORK, NY -- January 25, 2012 – On Sunday, February 12 at 7p, Luke Russert tells the story of Jon-Adrian Velazquez, convicted of murdering a retired NYPD officer back in 1997. An investigation that the “Dateline” team has been working on for 10 years, Russert interviews Velazquez, his mother, former girlfriend, sons, eyewitnesses and attorneys. They also recount the timeline - asking the question – is Velazquez, who is serving 25 years to life in Sing Sing Correctional Facility, actually innocent?

“Dateline” frequently receives mail from prison inmates making claims of innocence. Many of those claims turn out to be unfounded. But almost ten years ago, when Dan Slepian, a “Dateline” producer, began receiving letters from Jon-Adrian Velazquez, there was something in his story that seemed to warrant a careful re-evaluation of his conviction. This case then attracted attorneys Celia Gordon and Bob Gottlieb who have been representing Velazquez for the past two years and who believe they now have enough evidence to prove that he is an innocent man.

Sound bites from the interviews follow. If used, must include the following mandatory credit with airdate and time: "Dateline" Sunday, February 12 at 7p/6c.

JON-ADRIAN VELAZQUEZ:
It was a Saturday morning and-- I received a phone call that the police were lookin' for me. You know, and that came to me as a shock. But what came to me as even more of a shock was the fact that they said that I was a suspect for shooting a police officer.

LUKE RUSSERT:
And why was that so shocking to you?

JON-ADRIAN VELAZQUEZ:
'Cause I've never shot anybody in my life. I mean, shooting a police officer? My father was a cop.

LUKE RUSSERT:
You say you had nothing to do with the crime. You were nowhere close to the scene. Why is it that you were picked out?

JON-ADRIAN VELAZQUEZ:
Luke, that's probably the best question in the world, 'cause I don't know the answer

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LUKE RUSSERT:
Has there ever been any physical evidence to link you to this crime?

JON-ADRIAN VELAZQUEZ:
None whatsoever.

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An eyewitness who identified Velazquez in the line-up:

LUKE RUSSERT:
Do you think the guy (Jon-Adrian Velazquez) behind bars is the guy who did it?

AUGUSTUS BROWN:
That's something I’ve been struggling with...I don't know if I picked out the right person... I don't know if it was him or not, somebody doin' life because I said it was them and it possibly not have been them.

LUKE RUSSERT:
You think about this like when you go to bed at night at or--?

AUGUSTUS BROWN:
Yeah-- it always crosses my mind.

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Velazquez’s attorneys:

CELIA GORDON:
He is as innocent of Albert Ward's (the retired police officer) murder as I am.

BOB GOTTLIEB:
He's innocent.

CELIA GORDON:
I'm certain.

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David Corvo is the senior executive producer, Liz Cole is the executive producer and Lester Holt is the anchor of "Dateline NBC" (Fridays at 10p/9c and Sundays at 7p/6c). Follow “Dateline” on Facebook and Twitter @datelinenbc.