In October 2018, an El Paso jury found him not guilty of capital murder and he was finally truly free for the first time since he was a teenager.
In 1993, Daniel was a 16-year-old-high school student living in El Paso, Texas. He had a large and involved family. They describe him as being a boisterous and, at times, over-the-top story teller. Prior to his arrest in this case, Daniel had not been in any real trouble.
On April 10th, 1993, Armando “Mando” Lazo, 17, and Bobby England, 18, along with two other men, were walking home from a house party when a car pulled up slowly behind them and quickly pulled away. According to surviving witnesses, the car then turned around and headed back in the direction of the group, came to a stop, and someone from the back seat opened fire killing Lazo and England.
Daniel’s first trial ended in a hung jury. In Daniel’s 2nd trial, he was represented by a public defender who called only one witness which led to his conviction. After decades behind bars, his 3rd trial ended in a full acquittal and, for the first time, he was a truly free man.
Today, Daniel is living and working as a construction foreman in El Paso, Texas. He and his family continue to fight for other wrongfully convicted citizens.