A man who was wrongfully convicted for multiple crimes and spent 28 years behind bars was exonerated, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said Tuesday.
In 1996, Gerardo Cabanillas was convicted of 14 felony counts, including robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, rape and sodomy, despite his assertions that he was innocent, according to NBC Los Angeles. However, Cabanillas Cabanillas was coerced into telling a lie on promises of probation, according to The Associated Press (AP), but was still sentenced to life in prison.
Cabanillas was eventually released thanks to the help of the California Innocence Project and California Western Law School, according to NBC Los Angeles. (RELATED: ‘Long Overdue’: State Approves $340,000 Settlement For Man Wrongfully Convicted Of Murder)
Gerardo Cabanillas served nearly 30 years in prison despite no physical evidence and claims of a false confession. https://t.co/teAKlnIsxp pic.twitter.com/ACVem2RYuR
— KTLA (@KTLA) September 27, 2023
“The detective accused Cabanillas of robbery, kidnap, and rape, but promised Cabanillas he would get only probation and could go home if he confessed. After many denials, Cabanillas finally confessed, but he did not go home as promised. Instead, the prosecution charged him with fourteen felony counts including robbery, kidnapping, carjacking, rape, and sodomy,” the California Innocence Project said in a statement.
Gascón has also expressed his deepest apologies, NBC Los Angeles reported.