Well, she knows you, the detective said. On 06/28/2021 CATALAN, JUAN filed a Personal Injury - Motor Vehicle lawsuit against ALLSTATE INDEMNITY COMPANY. A native of Maine, he moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to join the Los Angeles Times. My friend. And a detailed log the detectives kept of their investigation shows no indication that they had contact with Puebla or her parents after they used the girl to bait Ledesma during the interrogation. Juan Catalan was involved in Grand Theft Auto, pushed by his older brother, for which he was arrested and marked with a criminal record that would later aggravate his situation, but that he was able to get rid of thanks to a tape that placed him in Dodger Stadium, in a jersey of then-pitcher Kevin Brown. According to Melnik: I told him. According to Innocence Project, approximately 20,000 people roughly 1% of the prison population arefalsely convicted of crimes. Roll that tape back! Four hours after her audition, she got the call. Join Facebook to connect with Juan Catalan and others you may know. My brother was accused of a murder he did not commit, and it took me months of constant investigation - 50 hours or more per week - to gather the evidence necessary to establish conclusively it was not him. Why is Win Harrison Wilson (Son of Russell Wilson) in Spotlight? The first, his wife and his daughters, with whom he always shared everything. The FBI took up the case and arrested and convicted Javier Covarrubias, Ral Robledo and Juan Ledesma, members of the criminal gang, The Vineland Boyz, for the murder of Martha Puebla. Covarrubias persuaded other Vineland members to help. Where and How to Become Billionaire With Just Curtain of Life Fell for what a Feeling Top Five Ranked Characters of Harry Potter, Ethereum The Most Popular Crypto Currency, Oleksandr Zinchenko The Ukrainian Midfielder, 5 Predictions Revealed for 2023 Royal Rumble, What is Solo polyamory?- Important facts explained. The girl jumped through the window, cowering in Pueblas room. A new Netflix documentary is to tell the story of Juan Catalan, a man falsely accused of killing a 16-year-old girl Credit: Netflix. You mean there is a small possibility that cops are morons who lie and incriminate innocent people to justify their own existence? Copyright 2022 Attorney-FAQ.com | version 5.1.20 (commit d0adbc) Laravel v 8.83.26 | (PHP v8.1.16), Home (current) | juan catalan wife. Pinner told Ledesma he knew the gang member had been on his way to Martha Pueblas house to visit her the night Vargas was killed outside her house. June 14, 2022 . Juan appeared sitting in the living room, accompanied by his wife, Brenda Rivera, whom he married in 2017 after 22 years of dating. You know me.. Pinner is still a police officer to this day. Youre not going to be telling gang members Ms. Juan Catalan was released from custody after a trial that lasted for six months. Juan is pictured visiting Dodger's Stadium, The horrifying true story of a man falsely accused of a brutal gangland murder in documentary Long Shot is about to become your new Netflix obsession, Harry launches fresh attack on Charles saying he grew up in 'broken home' & insists 'mum felt like I do' about Royals, Break down the barriers? Just as the case finally started to lean in Catalans favour, another obstacle arose. In August 2003, 16-year-old Martha Puebla was reportedly shot dead outside her home in San Fernando Valley. Homicide Detectives Pinner and Rodriquez eventually admitted they set Juan Catalan up to solve the case. From that moment on, a series of errors by the accusing party, the desperation of the accused and his family due to an unfair accusation would be combined as a fundamental part of the investigation. A federal prosecutor involved in the case said he recalled seeing notes from a meeting at which officials from the L.A. County district attorneys office offered protection to Puebla. Nothing worked. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Juan Catalan sat in jail for five months awaiting trial until his lawyer turned up video footage showing Catalan was at a Dodgers game at the time of the shooting. Although Catalan's attorney, Todd Melnik, eviscerated police for failing to do their job properly, Catalan has spent his post-jail time finding forgiveness for the officers who put him in jail, a process he says his mother encouraged. The next morning, after hearing that the police had been at his house, Ledesma crossed the border with Catalan and checked into a motel in Tijuana. LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2007 — -- A man cleared of murder charges by outtakes from an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" will receive $320,000 in the settlement of a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and its police force. Cataln was arrested on May 13, 2003, a day after the game, accused of the murder of Martha Puebla, a 16-year-old girl who had testified in a trial against Juans older brother. Rodriguez was transferred to an auto theft detail and is currently assigned to a vice unit. Juan Catalan is the name of the protagonist of the documentary Long Shot, elaborate production by Netflix, which tells the story of how he escaped the death penalty for having attended a Los Angeles Dodgers game, on 12 May 2003. Juan Catalan was put on death row and spent nearly 6 months in jail for the murder of a teenage girl, until his lawyer found unused footage from HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" that proved he'd been at a Dodger's game with his 6 year old daughter, on the night of the murder. Pinner remains a homicide detective in North Hollywood. Needing more proof, Catalan remembered that a televison show was being filmed at the game against the Atlanta Braves the night of the murder. This case was filed in Harris County District Courts, Harris County District Courts located in Harris, Texas. The Long Shot is available to view now on Netflix. But finally, Melnik was able to locate a phone call between Juan and his girlfriend that pinged right near Dodger Stadium at a time where it would have been physically impossible for Juan to reach the crime scene in time to commit the murder. I look at it like I did win the lottery because I got a new opportunity at life with my family. As Pinner and Rodriguez worked Pueblas murder scene, the truth was on the tape of Ledesmas jail-cell call. THE true story of a man who was falsely accused of a brutal gangland murder is being told in a new Netflix documentary. Juan had heard from other inmates about a badass defense lawyer named Todd Melnik, and Juan frantically called him begging him to take on his case. Juan Catalan spent 6 months in jail for the murder of a teenage girl, until his lawyer found unused footage from HBO's 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' that proved Juan had been at a Dodgers game with his daughter 31 minutes before the murder took place, 20 miles away. When a police officer believes someone may be in danger because of their involvement in a case, Kilcoyne and others said, it is standard procedure to warn the person and offer them protection. He quickly enlisted lawyer Todd Melnik to defend his case. She allegedly threatened her girlfriend, telling her that if she cooperated with authorities Puebla would tell the Vineland Boyz where the girls family lived. Went out the next day and saw the body outline on the floor and circles where the bullet shells were. This documentary came out in 2017, 14 years after what happened. Witnesses had signed their names. Pinner, Rodriguez and the district attorneys office declined to comment for this article. which is not a strategy that a defense attorney representing a client will employ? "It is in their manual that they are supposed to check out an alibi or a defense.". . We hear you like all things creepy we do too. None of you will believe me but I lived in the house across from where the girl was killed that he was blamed for. Catalan begged the detectives to believe him, that he had nothing to do with Pueblas death. After six months in jail, he was freed and later awarded a $320,000 settlement for police misconduct. german bakery long island. You see, Rodriguez told Catalan, the pictures dont lie.. Juan Catalan was put on death row and spent nearly 6 months in jail for the murder of a teenage girl, until his lawyer found . Makes you really call into question the quality of their investigation and ability to collect facts and evidence, when this happens. I need to place my client at Dodger Stadium on that night. He repeatedly professed his innocence, and asked to take a polygraph test, a request that the police denied (note: polygraph tests aren't admissible in court). After dancing with death, Juan was a free man. The documentary was released on Netflix on September 29, 2017, and it received numerous awards and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary for a Short Film. In addition to his flies and his genes, Juan had passions and interests that he carried with his proven sobriety. "You know, hate is, no one should walk around with hate in them. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Lets find out more about him. . Police response when the case was dismissed: crickets. Shes dead!. Catalan was eventually cleared by an unusual method, ABC News reported. View the profiles of people named Juan Catalan. Rodriguez read Ledesma his Miranda rights, and Pinner started grilling him. Martha had earlier testified in a another gang-related murder case and police were convinced that Juan was the killer. The 24-year-old machinist was sent to jail to await trial for capital murder. Even his daughter had to testify in court, assuring that after the game they stayed to buy baseball cards. Taking into account traffic congestion, the judge accepted thered be no way Juan could have been at the crime scene at the time of the murder. The detectives were told that he was hanging out with another Vineland Boyz member, Mario Catalan. We only haunt the willing. Right name and its still on. Juan was arrested and charged with a murder he clearly did not commit. Disclaimer | The documentary shows how from the moment, he was arrested, Juan protested his innocence as on the night of the murder, he took his daughter to Dodgers' Stadium to watch a baseball game between the LA Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. Only days before her murder, she had testified against young Mario Catalan involving a gang slaying in which Mario was charged as an accessory. During the OJ Simpson case very early on I learned that they had used cell tower pings in order to locate OJ on that slow speed chase and that has always stuck in my mind, he told Bartlett. I dont agree with you, and I have the evidence to prove it, Pinner said. The Judge overseeing this case is ELAINE H PALMER. Juan Catalan sat in jail for five months awaiting trial until his lawyer turned up video footage showing Catalan was at a Dodgers game at the time of the shooting. Following the acquittal, they were both reassigned posts within the LAPD but never formally penalised for their conduct. The convincing proof was provided by outtake footage from Larry David's hit sitcom, which just so happened to be filming in Catalan's section on that May day.This is a story that might involve Hollywood, but it's not one you could concoct with your imagination. But Juan Catalan said he was at a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game -- not a drive-by shooting -- at the time of the murder . O_O, "Caybman, you were the only phone pinged when the event occurred. Pinner and Rodriguez brought Ledesma, 19, into an interview room and flipped on a tape recorder. . Catalan did have a motive for the execution-style killing of 16-year-old Martha Puebla, as she was a witness in his brother's trial for murder. In August 2003, Juan Catalan, a 24-year-old father who worked in his family's machining business, was arrested for the murder of a 16-year-old girl. phone records also showed that Juans cellphone pinged a tower near Dodger Stadium at 10:12 pm, which happens to be 31 minutes before Puebla was murdered. Im a baby naming pro and these are the top so far for this year - would you add them to your list? According to reports, he had been arrested as a teenager for breaking into cars. Fortunately, he was able to remember that someone in his section mentioned that the famous actor and comedian Bob Einstein, who plays Marty Funkhouser on Curb your Enthusiasm was in attendance. Catalan still works in the family business, but Casselman suggested he remains traumatized by the five months he spent in jail wrongly accused. They agreed. It didn't matter. When you hear a grown man, you know, cry for help, and youre like, helpless, its a feeling like, man, just of completeno hope. Before federal prosecutors and the LAPD sorted out Pueblas murder, however, Pinner and Rodriguez had arrested an innocent man in connection with Pueblas slaying. The problem came on August 12, 2003, when Juan was arrested by the police, accused of having murdered Martha Puebla, a teenager who testified against her older brother in a murder trial. He begged the girl for help and then died, his head slumped against the steering wheel. Thanks to an assist from the sport and another unusual source -- the HBO comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm" -- Catalan was free Monday night to take his seat in Section 327, to watch Game 4 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan and to reflect on his life's wild plot twists that make even postseason baseball seem simplistic, by comparison. It was a game that would end up saving his life. John Pyper Ferguson: 10 Unknown Facts About The Actor. Catalan was arrested and sent to prison where he spent six months awaiting trial. Homicide detectives on the case, Martin Pinner and Jose Rodriguez, were certain Juan Catalan was their killer, and in shocking police interview tapes it becomes clear they werent listening to a thing he had to say. He just had to prove it. Not long after that her BF was killed outside of her house. Netflix is also making a documentary about the disapperance of Madeleine McCann, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Once again they switched on a recorder. At the same time, youve got to use some common sense, said Dennis Kilcoyne, president of the California Homicide Investigators Assn. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Catalan and Melnik are "best friends" now. Like why? "I really did jump out of my chair," Melnik said. The next night, Ledesma reached for a pay phone outside his cell. British family with seven children who lost their dad to suicide who are the subject of a heartbreaking new Netflix documentary. Privacy | Catalan told Melnik he was at Dodger Stadium watching a baseball game with his seven-year-old daughter Melissa the night of the murder. 5 Facts About Her Gender and Sexuality. About | One step below, nature photography, especially butterflies, which he enjoyed. Catalan was arrested for Puebla's death in August 2003, and he maintained his innocence, telling prosecutors that he had taken his 6-year-old daughter to the Dodgers game on the night of the murder.Though Catalan could produce ticket stubs and offered to take a lie-detector test, real proof that he was in attendance was unavailable. After a couple months with Juan in jail, his girlfriend reminded him he had been at the Dodger game that night with his daughter. Why is my life going to end here?. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Join Facebook to connect with Juan Cataln and others you may know. However, since the tapes were time-stamped and located Juan at the stadium around 9PM and the murder didnt occur until around 10:30, the prosecutor wouldnt budge. Juli Fisher: Why Did Jeff Fishers Ex-wife Leave Him After 22 Years of Marriage? Following his arrest, the police further claimed they had a witness who put him at the crime scene. Upon his arrest, questions about the then-24-year-old past were asked. He was suspected by police because the victim was the star witness against his brother two weeks before the murder, and an eyewitness to the murder said the killer was a youngish adult Latino man with a mustache (which also describes Juan). That just destroys a person in there.My thought was, Am I gonna die in here? We are brought up to think that, you know, the policemen are there to protect us, so just knowing that theyre doing something that they shouldnt, that changes everything. What Caused, Can Botox Help You in Looking Young? ", "Juan remembered that Super Dave Osborne was one of the actors in the show," recalled defense attorney Todd Melnick during an appearance on "Good Morning America" in June 2004. Long Shot is a 2017 short documentary film about how Juan Catalan was arrested for a murder he did not commit. She said she had not seen much of anything at all. Juan Catalans story inspired the 2017 short documentary film, Long Shot.