A man wrongfully convicted of a deadly shooting in Brooklyn more than 20 years ago and later deported to Guyana is now working to return to the United States after his name was officially cleared.
Brian Kendall, now 54, was just 17 years old when he was accused of killing Raphael Reyes in a Flatbush candy store with a video game room in 1988. Facing the possibility of a life sentence, Kendall pleaded guilty to manslaughter the following year—a decision his attorney says was made without understanding that the evidence against him was weak.
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Kendall served over 16 years in prison and was deported to Guyana in 2005. On Tuesday, a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge vacated his conviction, following a joint investigation by the Legal Aid Society and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU).
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s office determined that Kendall was actually acting as a Good Samaritan, running with others who were chasing the real gunman after the shooting. The CRU’s report concluded that Kendall is “likely innocent,” and noted that his guilty plea does not change that finding.
“The evidence shows that Kendall should never have been convicted,” said David Crow, Kendall’s Legal Aid attorney. Crow also revealed that the shooting was likely a targeted hit arranged by a rival, and that the suspected gunman is now deceased.
Speaking via video from Guyana, Kendall said the ruling “clearly cleared my name and exposed this miscarriage of justice.” He described his arrest as the start of a lifelong battle that continues today.
Crow confirmed that Kendall now hopes to return to the United States. “Because the conviction has been vacated, it can no longer be used as a basis to sustain his deportation,” Crow said. “Even in this challenging immigration climate, we will attempt to bring him home.”
Kendall left Guyana as a child and grew up in Brooklyn, where he became a legal permanent resident. After his conviction, he was never able to return to the borough as a free man. Upon his deportation, Kendall struggled to rebuild his life in Guyana, where he had not lived since age 11. He relied on the support of friends, sleeping on couches and working as an electrician—a skill he learned while incarcerated.
His mother passed away while he was serving his sentence, and his father died soon after. Kendall’s remaining family, including two sisters and a younger brother, continued to stand by him throughout his wrongful imprisonment.
Kendall’s effort to return to the U.S. comes amid a tightened immigration enforcement landscape, where U.S. officials under the Trump administration have pursued aggressive deportation policies. Masked ICE agents have been deployed to arrest immigrants at court hearings, and the administration has publicly aimed to detain thousands of migrants daily.
Despite these obstacles, Kendall’s legal team remains committed to securing his return. Crow said Kendall’s case represents not just the tragedy of a wrongful conviction, but the resilience of a man who never gave up on clearing his name and reuniting with his family.
