READ FULL STORY:
In 2005, Scott Borthwick agreed to defend a twenty-year-old Garden Grove resident, James Ochoa, accused of felony carjacking and armed robbery. After researching the case for several months and convinced of Ochoa’s innocence, the trial began in December 2005. Under pressure from the Judge and District Attorney, Mr. Ochoa pled guilty to a crime he did not commit before his defense case could be presented. Approximately one year later, James was released from State Prison when DNA evidence proved that another person had committed the crime.
- Year of Incident: 2005
Jurisdiction: CA
Charge: Carjacking, Armed Robbery
Conviction: Carjacking, Armed Robbery
Sentence: 2 Years
Year of Conviction: 2005
Year of Exoneration: 2006
Sentence Served: 1 Year
Real perpetrator found? Yes
Contributing Causes: Eyewitness
Misidentification, Unreliable/Limited Science,
Government Misconduct Compensation? Not Yet