Four women continue their push for exoneration in the case that sent them to prison for more than a decade for a crime they say never took place.
The San Antonio Four, as the media took to calling them, is made up of Kristie Mayhugh, Anna Vasquez, Cassandra Rivera, and Elizabeth Ramirez.
They go before an evidentiary hearing Wednesday that will determine whether they go to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. They will again make their case again that they committed no crime.
The four were accused of sexually assaulting two of Ramirez' nieces ages-7 and 9-in 1994. One of the girls would later recant the statement as an adult, claiming she had been forced to lie by her father. In addition expert forensic evidence would later be discredited and deemed "junk science" by the District Attorney's office, the defense, and the doctor who testified for the prosecution.
Three of the four were released from prison November of 2013, while they awaited their hearing at the Court of Criminal Appeals. Anna Vasquez was already out on parole.
Guests:
In the studios of KUT Austin,
- Maurice Chammah, staff writer for The Marshall Project, a nonprofit online news organization dedicated to criminal justice issues. (@MauriceChammah)
- Deb Esquenazi, documentary filmmaker whose "Southwest of Salem" focuses on the conviction of the four women. (@deb_esqeunazi)
In San Antonio,
- Mike Ware, attorney representing the San Antonio four
- Kristie Mayhugh
- Anna Vasquez
- Cassandra Rivera
- Elizabeth Ramirez
