Another man will be released from prison today as a result of evidence brought forward by the California Innocence Project, a clinical program based at California Western School of Law in San Diego.
Rafael Madrigal, Jr., of Ontario, Calif., was scheduled to be released from the California Institution of Men at noon today. He had been convicted in 2000 of a gang-related shooting but maintained his factual innocence.
I mentioned Madrigal in my story about the Innocence Project a few weeks ago. The program celebrated its 10th anniversary last month and three recent victories in the courtroom, including Madrigal. His conviction was overturned and has been waiting to be released from prison.
Madrigal will be the ninth person released from prison as a result of the law school’s clinical work. Students and several faculty members who worked on the case helped convince a judge that Madrigal was not at the scene of the crime when it happened.
“I must note that there is compelling evidence in this case that [Madrigal] is actually innocent of the crime for which he was convicted,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Marc Goldman wrote in his Oct. 1 decision.