Step.- A man who was exonerated of double murder charges – which kept him in prison for two decades – was briefly detained on Wednesday accused of domestic violence, allegedly against his current partner.
Daniel V. lived a nightmare few could imagine. In 1993, when he was just 16 years old, he was charged and later convicted of the murders of Armando “Mando” Lazo and Bobby England.
For 19 years, Daniel V. insisted on his innocence, claiming that El Paso Police Detective Alfonso Marquez had coerced him into confessing. His story drew national attention, and in 2018, he was finally exonerated after a retrial.
After his release, Daniel became a symbol of perseverance and hope. He appeared on shows like Dateline, sharing his story of fighting against a system that he believes failed him. He sued the city of El Paso, and the lawsuit is still pending this year in federal court in El Paso.
Life seemed to be giving him a second chance, and his conviction resurfaced again in the Democratic race for district attorney earlier this year, as one of the candidates, James Montoya, was part of the team that charged Daniel V. with the double homicide.
However, on July 17, the tranquility of their new life was abruptly interrupted. In the early morning hours, police were called to an apartment near Irvin High School in northeast El Paso. According to the affidavit, Daniel was arrested on domestic violence charges. The victim alleged that the argument began when Daniel accused her of infidelity, leading to a physical altercation.
Police found the victim with possible traces of dried blood and scratches on both wrists and her right forearm. The victim claimed the blood was hers and that Daniel had grabbed her wrists, causing her pain.
Daniel was released Wednesday afternoon on $2,500 bail. The charges he faced were Class A misdemeanors, and he had not yet been assigned an attorney.
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