Daniel Villegas is a 44-year-old man who was wrongly convicted at the age of sixteen by the El Paso Police Department (E.P.P.D.) of the double murder of two teens, Armando Lazo and Bobby (Robert) England. He was condemned to life in prison and spent 25 years in jail until establishing his innocence in a retrial in 2018.

On April 10, 1993, four young men, Armando Lazo, Bobby (Robert) England, Jesse Hernandez, and Juan Medina, were shot after returning from a party. Jesse and Juan managed to flee, but Lazo and England were shot and killed.

Officers Marquez, Graves, Arbogast, and Laredo of the E.P.P.D. were investigating the murder. They threatened Micheal Johnston and interrogated him for eight hours. Marquez also arrested David Rangel on April 21, 1993. The officers threatened the suspect if he did not accept the confession. In his aggressive letter to the police officer, David stated that his cousin Daniel Villegas (age 16 in 1993) is a killer. David, on the other hand, claimed that Daniel was watching a movie in the Village Green Apartments at the time of the murder.

Daniel Villegas was detained by the E.P.P.D. Police on April 21, 1993. Marquez had Daniel and threatened him with rape in jail. Daniel was reportedly permitted to contact his parents or defense counsel. Daniel protested the charge every time he was interviewed, but the cops compelled him to sign the confession. Other suspects, such as Javier and Rudy Flores, were never addressed by authorities.

His initial trial resulted in a hung jury. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in his second trial in 1995. Daniel was subjected to mental and physical abuse by the guards throughout his stay in jail. However, on June 10, 2018, a judge at the 409th District Court ruled that Daniel was innocent. After hearing the judge’s announcement, he sobbed and kneeled.

His attorneys are currently fighting for his right to be paid by the state of Texas for his unjust incarceration. He told the reporters that “you’ll never be the same” and that he was not permitted to access his children’s school grounds because of his 25-year image as a killer.