A man and woman who spent more than 17 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of a 2007 East Hollywood murder rejoiced Monday after their convictions were vacated and they were set free.
“It’s some kind of Christmas miracle,” an emotional Charlotte Pleytez said during a Monday news conference at the Hall of Justice, where she was joined by Lombardo Palacios, also wrongfully convicted, and LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
The DA made the announcement that, based on review of evidence, Pleytez and Palacios have been exonerated. Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan vacated the convictions on Friday and ordered the pair’s immediate release.
Officials from the D.A.’s office had picked up Pleytez and Palacios in prison on Friday so they could attend the hearing and dispatch with the matter before Christmas.
“I want to extend my deepest apologies to Ms. Pleytez and Mr. Palacios for the years of hardship they endured due to these wrongful convictions,” Hochman said in a statement.
“Our justice system must be both fair and accurate, and this case highlights the critical importance of never resting until justice is done, reviewing even past cases with the utmost care to ensure that the right and just result is reached.”
The 37-year-old Pleytez, her voice cracking at times, expressed gratitude as she spoke at the news conference.
“I just want to say how truly happy I am and how blessed I am to be standing here free after 17 years spent in a life sentence in front of me for something I didn’t do,” she said.
“I’m absolutely grateful and blessed that the wrongful conviction got corrected, and I don’t want to take anything away from all the wonderful people who made the exoneration happen. You’re all a blessing.”
But she added, “I also think it would be wrong not to say that something went really wrong with the system to cause a mistaken conviction like this.”
Palacios, 32, also spoke at the news conference, introducing himself by saying, “I’m the guy who did 17 years in prison.”
“These past few days have been the very best days of my life,” he said. “I’m making up for everything … it’s been unreal. I still can’t believe that I’m free. I’m the happiest man in the world.”
Monday’s announcement concluded a process that began under Hochman’s predecessor as DA, George Gascón.
Gascón, in an October announcement, cited what he called “coercive investigations” by law enforcement of Palacios, who was then 15 and insisted for nearly two hours that he was innocent before being falsely told there was a video showing he was the killer.
In addition, Gascón said, Palacios did not accurately describe what happened or what type of weapon was used because “he was never actually there.”
Gascón also noted that Pleytez steadfastly maintained her innocence while being interrogated by police.
At the time of Gascón’s October announcement, Ryan, the judge, did not immediately rule on the prosecution’s request for exoneration. Instead, he ordered attorneys to return to the downtown LA courtroom Nov. 1 after the prosecutor who handled the trial said he wanted to provide more information to the judge.
Tom Trainor, head of the District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit, said during the brief October hearing that he felt “very confident” in the most recent analysis by the DA’s Office of the case.
But he noted that the trial prosecutor — Deputy District Attorney Dayan Mathai — had “raised some concerns” and that he “should be given the opportunity to be heard.”
Pleytez’s attorney, Matthew Lombard, objected to what he called Mathai’s “last-minute approach,” and said there was “more than enough” to grant the petition to vacate the convictions of Pleytez and Palacios.
The convictions stemmed from a March 28, 2007 incident in which Hector Luis Flores was shot about 10:20 p.m., following a verbal altercation in a shopping-center parking lot on the 5200 block of Sunset Boulevard. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
According to Monday’s announcement by Hochman, during the investigation, eyewitness identifications and other “circumstantial evidence” led to the arrests of Pleytez and Palacios.
A jury convicted the pair on Oct. 6, 2009 of first-degree murder, and each was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison — convictions and sentences that were later affirmed on appeal.
Hochman’s office said that, some 13 years after the convictions, the DA’s office was invited to work with lead attorney Ellen Eggers; Pleytez’s attorney, Lombard; Palacios’ attorney, Nicolas Tomas; and the California Innocence Advocates “to secure justice for both individuals.”
Tomas — Pleytez and Palacios’ then-sole attorney — submitted the initial request to the office’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) in November 2022.
“We are reluctant to say justice has been done, because the injustices our clients have suffered for nearly two decades are unfathomable, but this is definitely a cause for celebration,” Lombard said in a statement released by Hochman’s office.
Said Tomas: “Charlotte, Lombardo, their families, and the entire legal team are profoundly thankful to the Conviction Review Unit for having provided a platform to present this case and for working collaboratively to uncover the truths which ultimately set our clients free.”
Meanwhile, Megan Baca of the California Innocence Advocates said the defense team was “heartened by DA Hochman’s commitment to correcting wrongful convictions and his remarkable efforts to secure our clients’ immediate release, enabling Charlotte and Lombardo to spend their first Christmas in 17 years home with their families, where they’ve always belonged.”
The CRU and attorneys for Pleytez and Palacios had filed a joint petition to vacate the convictions and find Pleytez and Palacios factually innocent.
Hochman’s office said Monday that the DA. will seek a finding of factual innocence at a later date.
The DA’s office provided a supplemental letter to the court in support of the habeas petition and release, “clarifying its position on the underlying investigation and prosecution and the reasons for the requested relief,” according to Hochman’s office.
“The DA’s Office asserts that, following a detailed review and analysis of the investigation and prosecution of the 2009 convictions, there is no evidence to suggest that any of the investigating officers responding officers, or prosecutors involved in the case acted inappropriately, unethically, or illegally in performing their duties in the investigation and prosecution of this case given the applicable case law and state of the evidence at that time,” Hochman said.
“The request for relief in this case was based entirely on new evidence uncovered by the joint CRU and defense investigation.”
In his Monday statement, Hochman also said, “I also want to recognize the tragic loss of Hector Luis Flores and share my heartfelt condolences with his family. His death is a painful reminder of the heavy responsibility we bear to ensure justice not only holds the right people accountable but also honors the lives of victims and their families.”