The Wrong Carlos: Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution

In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. His execution passed unnoticed for years until a team of Columbia Law School faculty and students almost accidentally chose to investigate his case and found that DeLuna almost certainly was innocent. They discovered that no one had cared enough about either the defendant or the victim to make sure the real perpetrator was found. Everything that could go wrong in a criminal case did. This book documents DeLuna's conviction, which was based on a single, nighttime, cross-ethnic eyewitness identification with no corroborating forensic evidence. At his trial, DeLuna's defense, that another man named Carlos had committed the crime, was not taken seriously. The lead prosecutor told the jury that the other Carlos, Carlos Hernandez, was a "phantom" of DeLuna's imagination. In upholding the death penalty on appeal, both the state and federal courts concluded the same thing: Carlos Hernandez did not exist.The evidence the Columbia team uncovered reveals that Hernandez not only existed but was well known to the police and prosecutors. He had a long history of violent crimes similar to the one for which DeLuna was executed. Families of both Carloses mistook photos of each for the other, and Hernandez's violence continued after DeLuna was put to death. This book and its website (thewrongcarlos.net) reproduce law-enforcement, crime lab, lawyer, court, social service, media, and witness records, as well as court transcripts, photographs, radio traffic, and audio and videotaped interviews, documenting one of the most comprehensive investigations into a criminal case in U.S. history. The result is eye-opening yet may not be unusual. Faulty eyewitness testimony, shoddy legal representation, and prosecutorial misfeasance continue to put innocent people at risk of execution. The principal investigators conclude with novel suggestions for improving accuracy among the police, prosecutors, forensic scientists, and judges.

Politics & Social Sciences

Liebman, James

Crowley J.D., Shawn

Markquart J.D., Andrew

Rosenberg J.D., Lauren

White J.D., Lauren

Zharkovsky J.D., Daniel

Social Sciences

Columbia University Press

In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. His execution passed unnoticed for years until a team of Columbia Law School faculty and students almost accidentally chose to investigate his case and found that DeLuna almost certainly was innocent. They discovered that no one had cared enough about either the defendant or the victim to make sure the real perpetrator was found. Everything that could go wrong in a criminal case did. This book documents DeLuna's conviction, which was based on a single, nighttime, cross-ethnic eyewitness identification with no corroborating forensic evidence. At his trial, DeLuna's defense, that another man named Carlos had committed the crime, was not taken seriously. The lead prosecutor told the jury that the other Carlos, Carlos Hernandez, was a "phantom" of DeLuna's imagination. In upholding the death penalty on appeal, both the state and federal courts concluded the same thing: Carlos Hernandez did not exist. The evidence the Columbia team uncovered reveals that Hernandez not only existed but was well known to the police and prosecutors. He had a long history of violent crimes similar to the one for which DeLuna was executed. Families of both Carloses mistook photos of each for the other, and Hernandez's violence continued after DeLuna was put to death. This book and its website (thewrongcarlos.net) reproduce law-enforcement, crime lab, lawyer, court, social service, media, and witness records, as well as court transcripts, photographs, radio traffic, and audio and videotaped interviews, documenting one of the most comprehensive investigations into a criminal case in U.S. history. The result is eye-opening yet may not be unusual. Faulty eyewitness testimony, shoddy legal representation, and prosecutorial misfeasance continue to put innocent people at risk of execution. The principal investigators conclude with novel suggestions for improving accuracy among the police, prosecutors, forensic scientists, and judges.

This is the updated edition of the textbook that pioneered the teaching of Evidence using problems rather than appellate opinions. The text explores the Rules of Evidence and their rationales in a straightforward fashion without hiding the ball or ignoring complexities. Problems that clarify the Rules appear throughout the chapters; larger problem sets that explore the Rules in detail are found at the ends of chapters. The updated edition discusses important recent cases and introduces social science findings and recent developments in science and technology that bear on the design and operation of the Rules of Evidence, and on their rationale.

A Modern Approach to Evidence: Text, Problems, Transcripts and Cases (American Casebook Series)

Lempert, Richard

Gross, Samuel

Blume, John

Landsman, Stephan

Lederer, Fredric

Criminal Law

West Academic Publishing

This is the Fifth Edition of the textbook that pioneered the teaching of Evidence using problems rather than appellate opinions. The text explores the Rules of Evidence and their rationales in a straightforward fashion without hiding the ball or ignoring complexities. Problems that clarify the Rules appear throughout the chapters; larger problem sets that explore the Rules in detail are found at the ends of chapters. The updated edition discusses important recent cases and introduces social science findings and recent developments in science and technology that bear on the design and operation of the Rules of Evidence, and on their rationale.

As a part of our CasebookPlus offering, you'll receive the print book along with lifetime digital access to the eBook. Additionally you'll receive the Learning Library which includes quizzes tied specifically to your book, an outline starter, and 12-month digital access to leading study aids and the Gilbert Law Dictionary. The included study aids are Federal Rules of Evidence in a Nutshell, Acing Evidence and Exam Pro on Evidence, Objective. The redemption code will be shipped to you with the book. This is the Fifth Edition of the textbook that pioneered the teaching of Evidence using problems rather than appellate opinions. The text explores the Rules of Evidence and their rationales in a straightforward fashion without hiding the ball or ignoring complexities. Problems that clarify the Rules appear throughout the chapters; larger problem sets that explore the Rules in detail are found at the ends of chapters. The updated edition discusses important recent cases and introduces social science findings and recent developments in science and technology that bear on the design and operation of the Rules of Evidence, and on their rationale.

A Modern Approach to Evidence: Text, Problems, Transcripts and Cases, 5th â€“ CasebookPlus (American Casebook Series)

Weyble, Keir

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