After more than 17 years behind bars, a judge has overturned the convictions of two people convicted in a deadly 2007 gang shooting in East Hollywood.
In 2009, Lombardo Palacios and Charlotte Pleytez were convicted of first-degree murder for a deadly shooting in a shopping center parking lot on Sunset Blvd. Both were sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.
Former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón first made the request for exoneration in October, citing coercive interrogation tactics used against Palacios, who was 15 at the time. Palacios insisted he was innocent for hours before police lied to him and falsely claimed there was video showing that he was the killer.
According to District Attorney Nathan Hochman, new evidence landed on his desk during his second week in office that further suggests Palacios and Pleytez were wrongfully convicted based on faulty eyewitness testimony and other "circumstantial evidence.”
On Friday, a superior court judge vacated their convictions and granted their release.
“Friday night when I came home, I slept beside my mom,” said Pleytez, now 37. “I woke up at 2. This big fear came over me. I was thinking, I don’t know, what if they made a mistake? They’re going to come after me again.”
Hochman said his office has to “hold ourselves to the highest standards” and learn from the mistakes made in this case.
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“Something went really wrong with the system to cause a mistake and conviction like this, and I hope progress is being made to make that less likely to happen,” Pleytez said.
Hochman said the new evidence could result in charges against a new suspect.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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