Topline:
Two men who spent decades in prison for a murder they did not commit were exonerated and released on Wednesday, marking the 10th exoneration in L.A. County in the past four years.
The wrongful conviction: Jofama Coleman and Abel Soto were wrongfully arrested for the murder of Jose Robles in a 2003 South L.A. drive-by shooting. Coleman was 20 and Soto was 15 at the time. Coleman was misidentified as the driver and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in August 2007. Soto was also misidentified as the shooter and sentenced to 72 years and eight months to life in prison in October 2007.
What happened: According to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón — who is running for reelection against a spate of candidates critical of his approach to criminal justice reform — nobody had identified Soto as the actual shooter. And a witness who misidentified Jofama Coleman recanted their testimony last year. Around the same time, a judge found Soto factually innocent of the crime.
The new suspect: Gascón said a post-conviction investigation has uncovered evidence of the actual shooter’s identity and confession. He says the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is expected to present that case in the coming weeks.
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