I was innocent; DA candidate James Montoya tried to send me to prison anyway: Daniel Villegas

My name is Daniel Villegas. I know better than most how important it is for a district attorney to seek justice, not just convictions. That’s why I know James Montoya shouldn’t be our next DA.

When I was just 16 years old, I was framed for a double murder and sentenced to life in prison. I spent nearly two decades there before a new judge gave me a new trial. His 78-page ruling explained in great detail why the evidence against me was clearly false.

Montoya prosecuted me anyway. He fought hard−and dirty−to send me back to prison. Now he’s running to be El Paso’s top prosecutor, the elected DA.

I thank God for the jury of El Pasoans who all agreed I wasn’t guilty. I’ll never forget that day. As the verdict was read, I cried, shook, and fell to my knees while the courtroom full of people cheered. Montoya sat about 10 feet away. He was frowning.

It was the same frown I’ve seen many times before on athletes whose team has come up short at the buzzer. In that moment, I saw he wasn’t thinking about justice. He was just sad that he lost.

When I learned he was running for DA, I was shocked and afraid. I’m writing this because most people don’t know how he tried to steal my freedom. I want everyone to know before they vote.

I wrote earlier that he played dirty. My lawyer had a retired cop record a conversation with one of the detectives working my case with Montoya. I have that recording and a transcript for anyone to see, and I’ll share it here. I’ll call them “good cop” and “bad cop” (GC and BC) and when they say “the DA” here, they’re either talking about Montoya or his boss. Either way, it was Montoya’s case, so he was always directly involved.

Here’s what they said, edited down to highlights:

GC: (Daniel Villegas is) an innocent person being charged … with a crime that he didn’t commit. … We both know he didn’t do it.

BC: (The DA) is the one that’s running the show, man. … We get all the information, and he just picks and chooses what he wants.

GC: So you’ll go out, you’ll meet with witnesses, and then … you guys are told what to put in and —

BC: Yeah … the DA, man, he’s running this … if you only knew half the shit, bro.

GC: This kid’s innocent.

BC: Yeah. Pobre chavo, man. Yeah, I feel for him, dude … but, you know, it’s a job, bro. It feeds the family. Just don’t screw me over, bro.

GC: I’m not, but … it’s the right thing to do, man.

BC: The DA, he’s the one that picks and chooses what he wants to use, man. So be careful, bro.

GC: Why do you tell me that?

BC: This shit can come back and bite you, man — bite you in the ass. So don’t trust anyone. Don’t. Don’t trust anyone.

GC: Would you come and testify about what the DA’s telling you to do?

BC: No. No, no, no. No, sir. It’s a job, bro. It feeds the family, man. That’s the way I see it.

When I think of Montoya being our DA, I think of a system where winning is more important than the truth. Where the police are deeply afraid of the DA. Where an innocent kid goes to prison while the real killer probably still walks our streets today. I think of injustice.

More: Daniel Villegas found not guilty in his third trial for capital murder

One of the people I owe my freedom to is John Mimbela, a family friend who spent his time and money proving my innocence. Montoya made accusations against Mimbela during my trial because he was helping me, but recently, Montoya had the audacity to ask him for an endorsement and money! Mimbela immediately said “no,” but that shows how shameless Montoya is.

Montoya has publicly said the DA’s Office doesn’t need a conviction integrity unit — attorneys who make sure innocent people aren’t convicted. I’m not surprised. With me, he just wanted the conviction and didn’t care about the integrity. I wasn’t a human being — only a number he wanted a win attached to. He’s never apologized, so it looks like nothing’s changed.

The DA is incredibly powerful. We need someone who will do the right thing with that power. That’s not James Montoya, and if he’s the DA, what happened to me could happen to you or someone you love. Don’t risk it.

Daniel Villegas was charged with capital murder in connection with the 1993 deaths of Armando "Mando" Lazo and Bobby England. He was found not guilty in his third trial for the crime in 2018.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: I was innocent; Montoya tried to send me to prison anyway: Daniel Villegas