Against public opinion and with no regard to the truth or justice, El Paso County DA Jaime Esparza continues to haunt an innocent man. Although District Judge Sam Medrano has already ruled Daniel Villegas innocent and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals threw out Daniel’s conviction, apparently there will be a third trial. It’s a shame that Mr. Esparza is more worried about saving face than correcting an injustice… an injustice that has already taken 20 years of Daniel’s life!
Coerced and threatened by detectives 20 years ago when he was just 16 years old, Daniel offered a false confession to the crime. His statement was full of factual inaccuracies and has been criticized by judges and experts alike, including by Judge Medrano himself. Additionally, Daniel immediately recanted after he was away from ruthless and threatening detectives. Tomorrow is a hearing to throw out Daniel’s statement once and for all.
We will be gathering in front of the El Paso county courthouse (map) on Wednesday, October 15th at 8:00am before we head to the 409th court room at 9:00. Come show your support for Daniel and show DA Esparza that he needs to stop this injustice by immediately dropping all charges against Daniel.