Nelson Ruiz

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Charge:	"Murder, Rape and Kidnapping"
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	22.83
Year Crime:	1988
Year Convicted:	1994
Year Cleared:	2016
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Puerto Rico
County or Region of Crime:	Aguadilla
City of Crime:	Aguada
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Jose Caro, Nelson Ortiz, and Nelson Ruiz were codefendants wrongly convicted on December 15, 1994 of murder, rape, kidnapping, robbery, and using a weapon illegally. After their conviction by a jury Caro, Ortiz, and Ruiz were sentenced to life in prison. In December 2015 Puerto Rico enacted a post-conviction DNA testing law. Caro, Ortiz and Ruiz filed requests for DNA testing on crime scene evidence that included: hair, blood, and fingernail scrapings taken from the victim, her clothing, and a piece of white paper found at the crime scene. The DNA test report released in May 2016 excluded all three defendants while identifying the DNA profiles of two males. Based on the new evidence the three men filed a petition for a new trial. Their petition was granted on June 22, 2016. They were released on bond on June 23, 2016, pending the prosecution's decision whether to retry them or move to dismiss the charges. The prosecution's motion to dismiss the charges against CAro, Ortiz, and Ruiz was granted on September 27, 2016."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"The prosecution's motion to dismiss the charges against CAro, Ortiz, and Ruiz was granted on September 27, 2016."
Defendant Aided By:	Interamerican University's Innocence Project
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	25
Age When Released:	48
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Hispanic
Information Source 1:	"Puerto Rico frees 3 men convicted of murder in 1995, By Danica Coto (Associated Press), September 27, 2016"
Information Location 1:	http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Puerto-Rico-frees-3-men-convicted-of-murder-in-9295377.php
Information Source 2:	"DNA law leads to retrial for 3 in 1988 Puerto Rico killing, By Danica Coto (Associated Press), August 11, 2016"
Information Location 2:	http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/DNA-law-leads-to-retrial-for-3-in-1988-Puerto-9163820.php
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Nelson Ruiz

Charge:

"Murder, Rape and Kidnapping"

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

22.83

Year Crime:

1988

Year Convicted:

1994

Year Cleared:

2016

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Puerto Rico

County or Region of Crime:

Aguadilla

City of Crime:

Aguada

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"The prosecution's motion to dismiss the charges against CAro, Ortiz, and Ruiz was granted on September 27, 2016."

Defendant Aided By:

Interamerican University's Innocence Project

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

25

Age When Released:

48

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Hispanic

Information Source 1:

"Puerto Rico frees 3 men convicted of murder in 1995, By Danica Coto (Associated Press), September 27, 2016"

Information Location 1:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Puerto-Rico-frees-3-men-convicted-of-murder-in-9295377.php

Information Source 2:

"DNA law leads to retrial for 3 in 1988 Puerto Rico killing, By Danica Coto (Associated Press), August 11, 2016"

Information Location 2:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/DNA-law-leads-to-retrial-for-3-in-1988-Puerto-9163820.php

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