Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

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Angel Echavarria

 

Charge:

First Degree Murder and Robbery

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment without possibility of parole

Years Imprisoned:

21.33

Year Crime:

1994

Year Convicted:

1996

Year Cleared:

2015

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Massachusetts

County or Region of Crime:

Essex

City of Crime:

Lynn

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

"Angel Echavarria and Juan Rodriguez were codefendants wrongly convicted on January 26, 1996 of first-degree murder, and armed robbey and armed assault committed in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts on January 7, 1994 by two gun wielding men. Echavarria's conviction was based on his eyewitness identification by one of the victims who saw Echavarria and another man, Juan Rodriguez, in a barbershop in Lynn several days after the crime. Both men were arrested and charged. During their trial no physical or forensic evidence was introduced linking either Echavarria or Rodriguez to the crime, so the prosecution's case was based on their in court identification by the witness. During his opening statement Echavarria's lawyer told the jury that he would testify in his defense, but his lawyer then did not call him to testify. After both were convicted of all charges, they filed a post-verdict motion for a judgment of acquittal, which the judge granted for Rodriguez, ruling that the prosecution introduced insufficient evidence to support his convictions. Rodriguez was released. The judge denied Echavarria's motion and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. DNA testing in 2008 of biological matter recovered from the telephone cords used to tie-up the two victims excluded Echavarria, but matched the profiles of two unidentified males. Based on the new exclusionary evidence Echavarria filed a motion for a new trial. A three day evidentiary hearing was held was held in December 2014 and March 2015. Superior Court Judge David Lowy granted Echavarria's motion for a new trial on April 30, 2015. Judge Lowy's ruling was not only based on the new DNA evidence, but he also relied on the eyewitness identification of Echavarria that wasn't very reliable because the witness was a a heavy drug user and known for his unexplainable behavior. The judge also cited that Echavarria's lawyer made a “serious mistake” by not calling him as a witness when he had told the jury during opeing statments that he would testify, and that the lawyer was also ineffective in exposing during cross-examination discrepancies in the eyewitnesses preliminary hearing and trial testimony. Echavarria was released on bond on May 18, 2015. The Essex County District Attorney's Office declined to retry Echavarria, and the DA's motion to dismiss the charges was granted on June 15, 2015. Echavarria was awarded wrongful imprisonment compensation of $450,000 by the State of Massachusetts in 2016."

Conviction Caused By:

Ineffective assistance of counsel and inconsistent testimony by State's eyewitness.

Innocence Proved By:

"On April 30, 2015 Superior Court Judge David Lowy granted Echavarria's motion for a new trial based on the new DNA evidence, ineffective assistance of his trial lawyer, and inconsistent testimony by the State's key eyewitness. Echavarria was released on bond on May 18, 2015. The Essex County District Attorney's Office declined to retry Echavarria, and the DA's motion to dismiss the charges was granted on June 15, 2015."

Defendant Aided By:

New England Innocence Project and Brandeis Universities Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism

Compensation Awarded:

"$450,000 (State of Massachusetts, 2016)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

27

Age When Released:

48

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Hispanic

Information Source 1:

"A cautious, joyful return after conviction reversed, By Yvonne Abraham (Globe Columnist), The Boston Globe, June 17, 2015"

Information Location 1:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/06/17/angel-echavarria-returns-society-after-years-behind-bars-for-crime-didn-commit/ShZ7yjmceV4X64GRR8FnFN/story.html

Information Source 2:

"Man released after 21 years in prison after questinos raised in 1994 murder case, The Boston Globe, May 18, 2015"

Information Location 2:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/05/18/man-released-after-years-prison-after-questions-raised-murder-case/GNKAS0KXHkWZMflDpgoT8O/story.html

Information Source 3:

"DA won't appeal new trial order in 1994 Lynn murder case, By Travis Anderson, The Boston Globe, June 2, 2015"

Information Location 3:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/06/01/essex-won-appeal-not-appealing-order-for-new-trial-man-freed-lynn-murder-case/MqgpEstOsYGUMQeyXjR3ZN/story.html

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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org

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