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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
First Degree Murder |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
2.5 |
Year Crime: |
1971 |
Year Convicted: |
1972 |
Year Cleared: |
1974 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
California |
County or Region of Crime: |
Los Angeles |
City of Crime: |
Long Beach |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Juan Francisco Venegas was wrongfully convicted on July 17, 1972 of first-degree murder in a homicide committed on December 25, 1971 in Long Beach, California. Venegas' prosecution was based on the testimony of three witnesses who were by the investigating officers to testify as prosecution witnesses. During the trial of Juan Venegas and his co-defendant Lawrence Michael Reyes, Reyes testified that he committed the crime and Venegas was not involved. After the jury found Venegas guilty the trial judge denied Venegas' motion for a mistrial, entered the verdict, revoked bail, and ordered Venegas returned to custody. On November 22, 1972, the trial judge denied Venegas' motion for a new trial and sentenced him to state prison. On September 17, 1974, the California Supreme Court reversed Venegas' conviction on direct appeal because of insufficient evidence of his guilt. (People v. Reyes, 12 Cal.3d 486, 496-500, 526 P.2d 225, 231-33, 116 Cal.Rptr. 217, 223-25 (1974). The Court's ruling stated: "The case against Venegas is so fraught with uncertainty as to preclude a confident determination of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, we conclude the judgment as to Venegas must be reversed because the evidence is insufficient as a matter of law to support the verdict." The charges were dismissed and Venegas was released from custody on October 28, 1974. Venegas filed a malicious prosecution lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the City of Long Beach and the three officers who elicited the perjurious testimony from the three witnesses. In 1980 a jury awarded Venegas $1 million for his intentional false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In addition to his state court lawsuit, on October 28, 1977 Venegas filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Long Beach and the three officers. The U.S. District Court judge dismissed Venegas' lawsuit on the basis it was barred by the three-year statute of limitations. Venegas appealed, and on April 28, 1983 the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the judges ruling. The appeals court ruled that Venegas filed his lawsuit on October 28, 1977 -- which was exactly three years after his release from custody. Almost four years later Venegas' case went to trial, and on February 28, 1986 a federal court jury awarded Venegas $2.1 million in damages. So Venegas was awarded a total of $3.1 million for being prosecuted for a crime where the three officers manufactured the evidence against him." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Perjury by three witnesses that was coerced by the investigating officers and allowed by the proscrutors. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On September 17, 1974, the California Supreme Court reversed Venegas' conviction on direct appeal because of insufficient evidence of his guilt. (People v. Reyes, 12 Cal.3d 486, 496-500, 526 P.2d 225, 231-33, 116 Cal.Rptr. 217, 223-25 (1974). The Court's ruling stated: "The case against Venegas is so fraught with uncertainty as to preclude a confident determination of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, we conclude the judgment as to Venegas must be reversed because the evidence is insufficient as a matter of law to support the verdict." The charges were dismissed and Venegas was released from custody on October 28, 1974." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
"$3.1 million total. $1 million (City of Long Beach - state court lawsuit, 1980) and $2.1 (City of Long Beach - federal civil rights lawsuit, Feb. 28, 1986)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
22 |
Age When Released: |
25 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Hispanic |
Information Source 1: |
"“Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases,” Hugo Adam Bedau & Michael L. Radelet, Stanford Law Review, November, 1987, Vol. 40, p. 165." |
Information Location 1: |
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Information Source 2: |
"People v. Reyes, 12 Cal.3d 486, 496-500, 526 P.2d 225, 231-33, 116 Cal.Rptr. 217, 223-25 (1974) (Reversing conviction based on insufficient evidence of guilty.)" |
Information Location 2: |
"https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=7295048439600286122&q=People+v.+Reyes,+12+Cal.3d+486++526+P.2d+225&hl=en&as_sdt=6,38" |
Information Source 3: |
"Falsely Accused in Death, Ex-Prisoner Wins $2.1 Million, By Myrna Oliver (Legal Affairs Writer), Los Angeles Times, February 28, 1986" |
Information Location 3: |
http://articles.latimes.com/1986-02-28/local/me-12817_1_false-imprisonment |
Information Source 4: |
"Juan Francisco Venegas v. Kenneth B. Wagner, et al., 704 F.2d 1144, (9th Cir., April 28, 1983) (Ruled that Venegas' lawsuit was filed timely and reversed the district court judge's dismissal of lawsuit as time barred.)" |
Information Location 4: |
https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/704/704.F2d.1144.81-5696.html |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org