Innocence Project online -
Justice at Last: San Antonio 4 Are Declared Innocent: In 1997 and 1998, four young and close-knit female friends were convicted of raping two little girls in 1994 in San Antonio, Texas, and were sentenced to prison although evidence pointed to their innocence. The women – Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez – who became known as the San Antonio Four, fought their wrongful convictions for more than 20 years. Finally, last Wednesday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declared them innocent.
In 2013, Mike Ware and the Innocence Project of Texas filed for post-conviction relief on behalf of Ramirez, Mayhugh, Rivera and Vasquez based on key pieces of evidence that seriously raised doubt around the integrity of their convictions.
First, one of the alleged victims recanted, admitting that she’d been forced by her family to accuse Ramirez, her aunt, of sexual abuse. Second, the medical examiner who testified against the women also recanted. She said that her testimony – that the little girls showed physical signs of sexual assault – was scientifically inaccurate.
In 1997 and 1998, four young and close-knit female friends were convicted of raping two little girls in 1994 in San Antonio, Texas, and were sentenced to prison although evidence pointed to their innocence. The women – Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez – who became known as the San Antonio Four, fought their wrongful convictions for more than 20 years. Finally, last Wednesday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declared them innocent.
In 2013, Mike Ware and the Innocence Project of Texas filed for post-conviction relief on behalf of Ramirez, Mayhugh, Rivera and Vasquez based on key pieces of evidence that seriously raised doubt around the integrity of their convictions.
First, one of the alleged victims recanted, admitting that she’d been forced by her family to accuse Ramirez, her aunt, of sexual abuse. Second, the medical examiner who testified against the women also recanted. She said that her testimony – that the little girls showed physical signs of sexual assault – was scientifically inaccurate. Innocence Project online