In Texas, the Court of Criminal Appeals has ruled that the four San Antonio women comprising the infamous “San Antonio 4” are innocent. In a high-profile decision, the four women have been exonerated, following nearly 15 years in prison.
The four women (Kristie Mayhugh. Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez) were wrongfully convicted in 1997 of the sexual assault of two young girls, one of the women’s nieces. The 7- and 9-year-old girls accused the four women of restraining them, sexually assaulting them and threatening their lives several years earlier while the women had babysat them for a week.
At the time, the forensic evidence presented was inconsistent; however, in retrospect it is believed that societal conditions at the time may have influenced the jury, including a national preoccupation with allegations of child sexual abuse in so-called satanic cults as well as the fact that the four women were openly lesbian.
About ten years after the four women were incarcerated, nonprofit organization The Innocence Project of Texas agreed to take on the case, where it eventually came to be represented by attorney Mike Ware. The Innocence Project, a nationwide organization, investigates the possibility of wrongful convictions and has helped to exonerate the accused in many cases.
Shortly after renewed interest in the case had been shown, including the filming of a documentary, the younger of the two victims recanted her accusations. She stated that her father, the ex-boyfriend of Ramirez’ sister, had coached her.
In a majority opinion, Judge David Newell noted “Those defendants have won the right to proclaim to the citizens of Texas that they did not commit a crime. That they are innocent. That they deserve to be exonerated.”
Upon learning of the decision, the women described their reaction as “unbelievable” and “amazing”.
This decision by the state’s highest Court of Appeals will allow all four women to have their criminal records expunged. The decision also allows for the four to seek state compensation for their wrongful conviction and imprisonment, which could total millions of dollars.