Humberto Guzman

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Charge:	Drug Related (Possession or sale)
Sentence:	18 to 20 years
Years Imprisoned:	5
Year Crime:	1990
Year Convicted:	1992
Year Cleared:	1997
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Massachusetts
County or Region of Crime:	Suffolk
City of Crime:	Boston
Result:	Judicially Exonerated
Summary of Case:	"Humberto Guzman was wrongly convicted on June 11, 1993 of two counts of trafficking in cocaine and one count of conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. The jury rejected Humberto Guzman's defense that he had been mistaken for his cousin who was using his name. His motion for a new trial was granted in 1994 on the basis that his trial lawyers were ineffective for not calling two witnesses who could support his claim of mistaken identity. The prosecution appealed and it wasn't until March 25, 1997 that his indictment was dismissed with prejudice and he was released. On March 3, 2006 Guzman filed a complaint for wrongful imprisonment compensation under Massachusetts' 2004 wrongful conviction statute -- G.L.C. 258D. The State opposed his eligibility because he hadn't been "exonerated," and the judge dismissed Guzman's claim on the basis he had failed to state a claim. Guzman appealed. On June 24, 2009 the Massachusetts Court of Appeal reversed the trial court, and ruled that a claimant is eligible if their conviction was overturned "on grounds which tend to establish that he did not commit the crimes charged." The State appealed. On November 23, 2010 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the court of appeals' ruling, stating that a claimant's conviction must be reversed “on grounds which tend to establish innocence.” In 2011 Humberto Guzman settled his compensation claim for $250,000."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$250,000 (State of Massachusetts, 2011)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	42
Age When Released:	47
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Hispanic
Information Source 1:	"Humberto Guzman vs. Commonwealth. No. 07-P-1670. June 24, 2009"
Information Location 1:
Information Source 2:	"$500,000 could be awarded in overturned drug case, By Jonathan Saltzman, Boston Globe, June 25, 2009"
Information Location 2:	http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/06/25/500000_awarded_in_overturned_drug_case/
Information Source 3:	"Man gets to sue state for false imprisonment, Universal Hub, June 24, 2009"
Information Location 3:	http://www.universalhub.com/node/26009
Information Source 4:	"Humberto Guzman vs. Commonwealth, 458 Mass. 354 (Mass. Judicial Ct., 11-23-2010) (Guzman's compensation claim from the State of Massachusetts under G.L.C. 258D can proceed with him needing to prove that his convictions were overturned “on grounds which tend to establish innocence.")"
Information Location 4:	http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/458/458mass354.html
Information Source 5:	"Guzman, Humberto v. Commonwealth, SUCV2006-00923 ($250,000 wrongful conviction compensation awarded from State of Massachusetts under G.L.C. 258D.)"
Information Location 5:
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Humberto Guzman

Charge:

Drug Related (Possession or sale)

Sentence:

18 to 20 years

Years Imprisoned:

5

Year Crime:

1990

Year Convicted:

1992

Year Cleared:

1997

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Massachusetts

County or Region of Crime:

Suffolk

City of Crime:

Boston

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$250,000 (State of Massachusetts, 2011)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

42

Age When Released:

47

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Hispanic

Information Source 1:

"Humberto Guzman vs. Commonwealth. No. 07-P-1670. June 24, 2009"

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"$500,000 could be awarded in overturned drug case, By Jonathan Saltzman, Boston Globe, June 25, 2009"

Information Location 2:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/06/25/500000_awarded_in_overturned_drug_case/

Information Source 3:

"Man gets to sue state for false imprisonment, Universal Hub, June 24, 2009"

Information Location 3:

http://www.universalhub.com/node/26009

Information Source 4:

"Humberto Guzman vs. Commonwealth, 458 Mass. 354 (Mass. Judicial Ct., 11-23-2010) (Guzman's compensation claim from the State of Massachusetts under G.L.C. 258D can proceed with him needing to prove that his convictions were overturned “on grounds which tend to establish innocence.")"

Information Location 4:

http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/458/458mass354.html

Information Source 5:

"Guzman, Humberto v. Commonwealth, SUCV2006-00923 ($250,000 wrongful conviction compensation awarded from State of Massachusetts under G.L.C. 258D.)"

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: