Marty Tankleff

Marty Tankleff had just turned 17 when he was arrested for killing his parents, Seymour and Arlene Tankleff, in their home on Long Island, New York. Based on a dubious, unsigned "confession" extracted from him following hours of interrogation by a detective with a questionable background, Marty was convicted and sentenced to 50 years to life, and has already served 15 years in maximum security prisons for a crime he did not commit.

The obvious suspect in the case, Marty's father's business partner, was never investigated by police, despite the fact that he owed Seymour Tankleff half a million dollars and, as Seymour lay unconscious in the hospital before dying, faked his own death, changed his appearance and fled to California.

In 2003, a private investigator, Jay Salpeter, tracked down blockbuster new evidence in Marty's case: the getaway driver for the actual murderers. But the Suffolk County District Attorney, who had personal ties to key players in the Tankleff case — including the detective who took Marty's "confession" — refused to investigate the new evidence and aggressively opposed a new hearing for Marty. Legal and investigative efforts would not be enough to get Marty a new hearing. Public pressure needed to be applied through publicity. An advance was given to the New York Times, which ran an article the morning of a press conference announcing the new evidence. The press conference was well attended by TV news organizations. The initial burst of media led to a full hour on "48 Hours Investigates.

With strategic partner Content Squad, Soury produced a website — www.MartyTankleff.org — and a linked online forum, the definitive Tankleff sites visited regularly by journalists, Tankleff supporters, and the legal community in 5 continents.

The campaign to free Marty succeeded, and he was released from prison in December 2007.