Editor’s Note: You can read the full court documents at the bottom of this article.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A Rochester man convicted in connection with a 2007 killing has been released from prison after nearly 20 years behind bars after his conviction was vacated and his indictment was dismissed.
Terrance Mack was convicted in 2009 of first-degree gang assault in connection with the death of Latasha Shaw. A public defender involved in the case told News 8 that Judge Stephen T. Dollinger dismissed the indictment against Mack.
The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office told News 8 that Mack submitted an application to the office’s Conviction Integrity Unit in 2025. After an investigation, prosecutors said Mack’s conviction was vacated, the indictment was dismissed and he was released from prison.
District Attorney Brian Green said the dismissal came after prosecutors discovered information that had not been known to Mack’s appellate attorneys during post-conviction proceedings, including a 440 motion and a habeas corpus petition. Green said once prosecutors received the information, they immediately turned it over to Mack’s attorneys.
“The information in question — had Mr. Mack’s appellate attorneys had it, would almost certainly have resulted in success, either in his appeal or his 440 motion,” Green said.
Mack’s conviction stemmed from Shaw’s death on Sept. 29, 2007, in Rochester. According to federal court documents summarizing the case, Shaw called 911 that evening to report that a group of women had assaulted her 14-year-old daughter, her niece and her daughter’s friend.
As Shaw walked toward a house on Driving Park Boulevard, a large group of people approached her with knives, bottles, sticks and other improvised weapons, according to the documents. Shaw suffered blunt force trauma to her skull and stab wounds to her abdomen. She died later that night.
Court documents said Mack was identified by an eyewitness from a photo lineup in October 2007. He was arrested in Elmira in November 2008, where he was living with his girlfriend and their daughter.
A Monroe County grand jury later indicted Mack and his cousin, Ebony Mack, in connection with Shaw’s death. Ebony Mack was charged with second-degree murder, while both Ebony Mack and Terrance Mack were charged with first-degree gang assault, according to federal court documents.
Federal court records show Mack’s defense raised issues with the identification and pointed to alibi witnesses. Before trial, Mack’s attorney said one witness had identified Mack from a photo array, while other people who were shown the array could not identify him. The defense also said it had sworn statements from multiple witnesses who said Mack was either not in Rochester at the relevant time or was in Elmira.
Mack later challenged the constitutionality of his 2009 conviction in federal court. In December 2025, U.S. District Judge John Sinatra denied Mack’s habeas corpus petition and dismissed the case. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later denied Mack’s request for a certificate of appealability and dismissed the appeal in May.
One of Mack’s attorneys, retired Special Assistant Public Defender David Juergens, described the process as “beating our heads against the wall for a long time,” but said he was grateful to those who worked to free Mack, as well as the DA’s Conviction Integrity Unit for its investigation.
The dismissal came in Monroe County Court, separate from the federal habeas case.
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