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Wrongly
Convicted Database
Record
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Years
Imprisoned:
|
4 |
Charge: |
Sexual Assault (includes aggravated) |
Sentence: |
12 years |
Year Convicted: |
1990 |
Year
Cleared:
|
1994 |
Location
of Trial:
|
Texas |
Result:
|
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary
of Case:
|
"Wrongly convicted of aggravated sexual assault in October 1990 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The victim identified Gilbert Alejandro and the prosecution's "expert witness" Fred Zain, testified at trial that DNA recovered from the victim matched Gilbert Alejandro, when the tests were actually inconclusive. Alejandro was exonerated when another DNA test positively excluded him as the assailant. His conviction was set-aside and the charges were dropped in September 1994. Alejandro was wrongly imprisoned for four years. Alejandro filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Bexar County, and on June 27, 1995 he was awarded $250,000." |
Conviction
Caused By:
|
Eyewitness Misidentification and erroneous expert forensic testimony that his DNA matched the victim -- when the test was inconclusive. |
Innocence
Proved By:
|
DNA tests that were not conducted prior to his trial.
|
Defendant
Aided By:
|
Innocence Project |
Compensation Awarded: |
$250,000 |
Was Perpetrator Found? |
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Age
When Imprisoned:
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Age
When Released:
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Information Source 1: |
Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Science: Case Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence after Trial, by Edward Connors, Thomas Lundregan, Neal Miller and Tom McEwen (US DOJ, National Institute of Justice, June 1996), pp. 34-35. |
Information
Location 1:
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http://www.dna.gov/case_studies/convicted_exonerated/ |
Information
Source 2:
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Innocence Project database |
Information
Location 2:
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http://www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=23 |
Information
Source 3:
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Location 3:
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Source 4:
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Location 4:
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Information
Source 5:
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Information
Location 5:
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Ethnicity/Skin:
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Latino |
Book
About
Case:
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Book
Information:
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Book About Case (2): |
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Book Information (2): |
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Movie About Case: |
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Comments About Case: |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org