Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam, the State College man whose conviction for first-degree murder was overturned after he spent more than 40 years in prison, is now in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after his release from state prison.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections confirmed that Vedam was taken into custody Friday afternoon on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer issued in 1988. He was taken to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, according to his attorney. Vedam's sister, Saraswathi Vedam, also confirmed his detainment.
"This immigration matter is a remnant of Subu’s original murder conviction which has now been overturned," Saraswathi Vedam said. "Since that wrongful conviction has been officially vacated, and the charges against Subu have been dismissed, we have asked the immigration court to re-open the case and account for the fact that Subu has been exonerated."
Vedam is an Indian-American immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1962 when he was nine-months-old, according to an advocacy website created by Vedam's supporters.
Vedam was scheduled to be released from the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon, where he had been held for the past four decades. A Centre County judge ruled he was convicted based on incomplete evidence, and the Centre County district attorney determined it would be too difficult to retry him after so much time has passed. The district attorney also said Vedam was likely not a threat to public safety.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are shared.
