Man serving 80-to-life exonerated of attempted murders
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - A man who was serving an 80-year-to-life sentence for a drive-by shooting that wounded two brothers in Lynwood was exonerated today of the crimes, found factually innocent and ordered to be released from state prison.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters at an afternoon news conference at his downtown Los Angeles headquarters that it was a "great day for justice,'' saying that a thorough investigation into evidence that came to light after Michael Renteria's sentencing a decade ago.
"After we dug deeper and deeper and deeper into the facts of the case, we determined that this was a case of mistaken identity...,'' the district attorney said.
The District Attorney's Office and attorneys from the California Western Innocence and Justice Clinic jointly asked a judge to set aside Renteria's convictions for the attempted murders and an associated gun charge, proclaim him factually innocent and order his immediate release, with a judge agreeing to each of the requests, Hochman said.
Renteria -- whom Hochman described as a convicted felon at the time -- still needs to be re-sentenced on two other counts involving a handgun and an assault weapon that were found at his home when a search warrant was served. But he has already served far in excess of the sentence he would receive on those charges, according to the district attorney.
The district attorney noted that Renteria has spent more than 12 1/2 years behind bars and said he wants to "apologize to him that we couldn't have gotten to this day sooner."
"We wish that had happened faster. It didn't, but as fast as we could get to this point in time, we moved into court, we asked the court to grand these motions and the court has done so,'' he said.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Emily Garcia Uhrig ordered Renteria to be released from custody immediately, and he was expected to be released either Friday or early next week, according to Hochman.
The district attorney noted that there is an ongoing investigation into the shooting and said he hopes it will lead to charges eventually being filed against the gunman who shot and seriously wounded Juan Madrigal, then 19, and his 18-year-old brother, Jose, as they were standing on a sidewalk in the 3300 block of Virginia Street on Aug. 23, 2013.
Renteria was arrested Feb. 13, 2014, after an eyewitness identified him as the gunman, according to the District Attorney's Office.
"Renteria could not be convicted of these crimes as either a direct perpetrator or as an aider and abettor (as a passenger). Accordingly, it is more likely than not that all jurors would have acquitted Renteria if they have been presented the new evidence in the case,'' according to a petition filed jointly by the District Attorney's Office and the California Western Innocence and Justice Clinic.
Amy Kimpel, executive director of the California Western Innocence and Justice Clinic, told reporters that Renteria had denied being involved in the crime from the moment of his arrest.
She called the shooting "a tragedy,'' while adding, "Unfortunately, the law enforcement response compounded that tragedy when Michael was arrested and convicted for a crime he did not commit.''
"... Today, we are grateful the DA's Office and the court have begun to correct this grave injustice,'' she said. ``Michael looks forward to rebuilding his life and making up for lost time."
