Alexander Torres was exonerated of murder after spending 20 years in prison. He is now suing the county and local authorities, according to his lawyer.
The lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday on behalf of Alexander Torres alleges three officers with the LASD withheld evidence that would have contradicted testimony given at the trial, and that the three coerced witnesses to blame Torres for the crime.
Torres was arrested on Jan. 18, 2001. He told investigators he’d had confrontations with Guitron, including a fight after his mother’s car was vandalized, but did not leave his house the night of the killing, court records indicated. Torres was convicted on June 12, 2001 of second-degree murder with an allegation that he personally used a gun during the crime. He was sentenced to 40 years to life in state prison.
A Los Angeles man who was wrongfully convicted of murder after spending 20 years behind bars is now suing the county and local sheriff's department, according to his lawyer.