News Releases

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón today announced the exoneration and release from prison of Alexander Torres, who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 2001.

“While it is this office’s job to hold people accountable for the harm they cause, it is equally important that we critically re-examine past convictions,” District Attorney Gascón said. “We must be willing to own up to past errors, determine what went wrong and make sure we do not repeat those mistakes.”

District Attorney Gascón apologized to Alexander Torres for his wrongful conviction and praised the work of his expanded Conviction Integrity Unit, saying that its prosecutors and investigators who help bring added transparency to the criminal legal process.

Torres was convicted of murder in 2001 and sentenced to 40 years to life in state prison for a crime that he did not commit.

From prison, Torres wrote to the office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, which re-examined the evidence. District attorney investigators worked with sheriff’s detectives to conduct the investigation that ultimately led to Torres’ exoneration.

In October, Torres’ murder sentence was vacated and he was released from state prison. The office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, joined by the California Innocence Project, later asked the court to find Torres factually innocent of the murder. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan found Torres factually innocent on April 13.

In the 18 months since taking office, District Attorney Gascón has increased staff assigned to the office’s Conviction Integrity Unit.