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Sent to prison for 11 lifetimes as teens, Juan Rayford & Dupree Glass are soon to be freed thanks to a CA Supreme Court decision. But the L.A. D.A.'s office knew of serious questions about their guilt since 2015, yet refused to review the case. My latest: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-22/rayford-glass-convictions-overturned
Dupree & Glass were convicted on the testimony of two witnesses. No physical evidence. No gun recovered. A civil attorney and retired LAPD lieutenant turned P.I. turned up five witnesses who contradicted the prosecution's stars in 2015, including two relatives of said key wits.
The convictions were only overturned because they were "kill zone" prosecutions, which the CA Supreme Court severely narrowed in 2019. In kill zone cases, defendants can be charged with an attempted murder count for basically anyone in their field of fire. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-kill-zones-california-supreme-court-20190624-story.html
Translation: In this case, two victims suffered graze wounds. But Dupree & Glass were able to be charged with 11 counts of attempted murder.
The case has also raised questions about the L.A. D.A.'s office's Conviction Review Unit, which has vacated just 4 convictions since 2015, despite receiving nearly 2,000 petitions for review.
Experts say the L.A. D.A.'s CRU is too stingy in the cases it decides to take on. Data shows L.A. is far behind other major jurisdictions. The Cook County D.A. (Chicago) has exonerated 109 cases since 2012. Harris County D.A. (Houston) has done the same in 144 in same time frame.
If this story sounds familiar it's because ... it's the second time I wrote it in six weeks. Meet Emon Barnes. The victim in his case recanted six years ago. The D.A.'s office only petitioned to resentence him to release last month. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-04/sentenced-to-life-as-a-teen-compton-man-freed-from-jail-after-questions-raised-about-conviction
