Wrongfully Convicted Of Sunset Blvd. Murder As Youths, Pair Freed 2 Decades Later

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Two people who spent nearly two decades in prison for a 2007 East Hollywood murder they did not commit had their convictions vacated and were released from custody, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Monday.

Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan on Friday vacated the convictions and ordered the release of Charlotte Pleytez and Lombardo Palacios.

"Our justice system must be both fair and accurate, and this case highlights the critical importance of never resting until justice is done, reviewing even past cases with the utmost care to ensure that the right and just result is reached," Hochman said. "I want to extend my deepest apologies to Ms. Pleytez and Mr. Palacios for the years of hardship they endured due to these wrongful convictions."

The work to exonerate the pair began under former district attorney George Gascón.

Lombardo Palacios, then 15, and Charlotte Pleytez, then 20 and pregnant, were accused of the 2007 murder of Hector Flores on Sunset Boulevard. Convicted in 2009 and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, Gascón said Palacios was subjected to "coercive investigations" by the Los Angeles Police Department and "was never actually there" at the time of the murder. Pleytez steadfastly maintained her innocence throughout the ordeal, Gascón said.

Under Gascón's leadership, the DA's office worked with attorneys for Palacios and Pleytez to ask a judge to declare the pair factually innocent. Gascón expected a decision from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William Ryan in October, but the judge did not immediately rule on the request. He ordered attorneys to return to court Nov. 1 after the prosector who handled the original trial said he wants to provide more information to the judge.

While the DA's conviction integrity chief Tom Trainor said at the time he feels "very confident" about Gascón's analysis of the case, he noted trial prosector Dayan Mathai had raised concerns that "should be given the opportunity to be heard."

Palacios, a Guatemalan refugee, was 15 when he was identified by the LAPD as the shooter in the gang-related murder of Flores. Flores was shot and killed in his car in East Hollywood in front of a 99-cent store, LAist reported.

Flores’ fiancee, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was shot and wounded in the same attack and survived. She identified Palacios as the shooter and Pleytez as the driver, according to LAist.

The district attorney said Palacios was subjected to "coercive investigations" by law enforcement. Palacios insisted over nearly two hours of interrogation that he was innocent before police falsely told him there was a video showing that he was the killer.

Palacios confessed only after denying the accusations over 100 times, Pleytez's attorney, Matthew Lombard said, according to LAist.

California law allowed detectives to lie in interrogations with children until January of this year, LAist reported.

LAist reported on audio recorded in the interrogation.

“I'm going to walk out of here thinking you’re just a little gangster who doesn't care about a person’s life,” a detective said to Palacios. “But one way or the other, we’re walking out of here knowing you killed somebody.”

Gascón said Palacios didn't accurately describe what happened or what type of weapon was used because he wasn't present at the time of the murder. He said the jury that heard the case never saw the videos.

Based in part on Palacios's coerced confession, police built a case against Palacios and Pleytez. The pair did not know each other. Pleytez never confessed: She maintained her innocence throughout the investigation, into the trial and through her incarceration, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The trial included no physical evidence linking either of them to the shooting: They were convicted based on witness testimony, according to Gascón.

With a lead that the killers were associated with the White Fence gang, police located three people who said they witnessed the shooting: Flores’ fiancee and two young women who had been in the parking lot getting ready to go to a nearby nightclub.

Police showed the women photos of White Fence gang members: Flores’ fiancee — who wore glasses with trifocal lenses — picked out Palacios. The other two women picked him out too, but later said in court they were not certain, the Times reported.

The witnesses also identified Pleytez from the book of photos; she was one of only two women included in it, according to the Times.

"The DA's Office asserts that, following a detailed review and analysis of the investigation and prosecution of the 2009 convictions, there is no evidence to suggest that any of the investigating officers, responding officers, or prosecutors involved in the case acted inappropriately, unethically, or illegally in performing their duties in the investigation and prosecution of this case given the applicable case law and state of the evidence at that time," Hochman said. "The request for relief in this case was based entirely on new evidence uncovered by the joint CRU and defense investigation."

City News Service contributed to this report.