New York (CNN) -- A New York judge has upheld a nearly 15-year-old murder conviction despite a former judge's claim that his own racial bias caused him to wrongly convict the defendant, according to court documents. New York City Criminal Court Judge ShawnDya L. Simpson ruled Wednesday that there was no evidence that former New York Supreme Court Judge Frank Barbaro acted with bias toward the defendant when the verdict was rendered. The case was revisited after Barbaro, a longtime champion of civil rights, said he believed that he denied a fair trial to a white man who claimed he killed a black man in self-defense.
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A murder conviction against Donald Kagan is upheld by New York judge
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Judge in 1999 case shed doubt on the murder conviction he handed down
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He now says he was racially biased against the defendant, prompting review
Donald Kagan
On the issues of @placeholder's proclaimed innocence, Simpson wrote that Kagan failed to meet his "burden of establishing by clear and convincing evidence that he is actually innocent for the crimes he was convicted."
ShawnDya L. Simpson
Judge @placeholder didn't give any credence to the fact that I said I made a mistake, and that's very disappointing.
Donald Kagan
Mischel said that @placeholder has a parole board hearing October 14 and that they plan to go ahead with the appeal, even if he is released.