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'San Antonio Four' exonerated in 1990s Texas sexual assault cases
Source: Reuters
U.S. | Wed Nov 23, 2016 | 4:55pm EST
'San Antonio Four' exonerated in 1990s Texas sexual assault cases
By Jim Forsyth | SAN ANTONIO
A Texas court on Wednesday exonerated four women convicted of sexual assault in the 1990s after lawyers argued that they were sent to prison because of junk science, tainted testimony and false ideas of lesbian behavior.
The Court of Criminal Appeals said the convictions of the so-called "San Antonio Four" for sexually assaulting two children, ages 7 and 9, did not pass "the smell test." With testimony recanted since the trial and new evidence, no reasonable juror could have found the women guilty, the court said.
"Those defendants have won the right to proclaim to the citizens of Texas that they did not commit a crime," the written ruling said. "They are innocent. And they are exonerated."
Cassandra Rivera, Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh and Anna Vasquez were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 37 years and each served more than a decade. They were released on bond a few years ago as the convictions began to unravel.
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'San Antonio Four' exonerated in 1990s Texas sexual assault cases
By Jim Forsyth | SAN ANTONIO
A Texas court on Wednesday exonerated four women convicted of sexual assault in the 1990s after lawyers argued that they were sent to prison because of junk science, tainted testimony and false ideas of lesbian behavior.
The Court of Criminal Appeals said the convictions of the so-called "San Antonio Four" for sexually assaulting two children, ages 7 and 9, did not pass "the smell test." With testimony recanted since the trial and new evidence, no reasonable juror could have found the women guilty, the court said.
"Those defendants have won the right to proclaim to the citizens of Texas that they did not commit a crime," the written ruling said. "They are innocent. And they are exonerated."
Cassandra Rivera, Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh and Anna Vasquez were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 37 years and each served more than a decade. They were released on bond a few years ago as the convictions began to unravel.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-lgbt-texas-idUSKBN13I29F
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