No Spanish Translation
Ricardo Rachell
Ricardo Rachell

Incident Date: 10/20/02

Jurisdiction: TX

Charge: Sexual Assault

Conviction: Sexual Assault

Sentence: 40 Years

Year of Conviction: 2003

Exoneration Date: 1/14/09

Sentence Served: 5.5 Years

Real perpetrator found? Yes

Contributing Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification

Compensation? Not Yet

Ricardo Rachell was convicted in 2003 of a child sexual assault he didn't commit. Although DNA testing was available at the time of his arrest and a sample was collected from Rachell, no testing was conducted before his trial. He served more than five years before DNA testing proved his innocence and led to his release on December 12, 2008.

He was officially cleared when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted his writ of habeas corpus on January 14, 2009. In February 2009, prosecutors filed charges against another man in the case, saying the DNA profile from the crime scene matched him.

For more on the case, visit the Innocence Blog.

Ricardo Rachell
Ricardo Rachell

Incident Date: 10/20/02

Jurisdiction: TX

Charge: Sexual Assault

Conviction: Sexual Assault

Sentence: 40 Years

Year of Conviction: 2003

Exoneration Date: 1/14/09

Sentence Served: 5.5 Years

Real perpetrator found? Yes

Contributing Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification

Compensation? Not Yet