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Laredo Case Study In Criminal Justice

601 Words3 Pages

Hi, Murderinos! So I had my gallbladder removed this morning and sleep is eluding me. I figured what better way to kill time than by sharing my favorite murder. I’m originally from Mexico but Laredo, TX became “home” when I was 11. After high school I had big dreams of working crime scenes so I got a degree in Criminal Justice. My favorite professor (the only woman in the CRIJ department) was not only a successful attorney but also a politician. She was not afraid to point out how fucked up the local justice system was/is. Every semester we had to watch Laredo and the Law – a documentary about the triple-axe murders that rocked the city.
On January 18, 1991, Laredo PD discovered the mutilated bodies of James Smiley (33), Ruben Martinez (22), and Daniel Dueñez (14). Within three days of the investigation, police questioned Milo Flores (17), son of District Judge Manuel Flores, and Miguel Angel Venegas (16). The following day, Miguel Martinez (17) got picked up by police. According to Miguel Martinez’s statement, …show more content…

Here’s the kicker though, one member of Martinez’s defense team was a freaking DIVORCE lawyer!! Now here’s the fucked up part about this whole case. In 1993, Fred Zaine, the blood expert who claimed to have found traces of human blood belonging to the victims was charged with fabricating evidence in Virginia. Several people who were convicted on Zaine’s testimony were either released or granted a new trial. However, Judge Barlow didn’t feel there was enough evidence to prove the tests in this case were done improperly. Even though Martinez’s new defense team tested the weapons and found no traces of human blood on them. The forensic expert could only find traces of animal blood on the axe. Unfortunately, the DA’s office ended up using the axe to trim their Christmas tree!! Did I also mention that the fingerprints taken at the crime scene were either “lost or

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