Press Coverage

May 8, 2006

New Trial For Defendants?

KLBK 13 TV News

Two men have already spent 10 years in jail for the murder of a Littlefield woman. Last week, the State of Texas said one of the men should receive a new trial. But in a Lubbock courtroom, defense attorneys argued if one could get a new trial, then why shouldn`t both?

Ten years ago, the Paradise Club in Lubbock was packed. A band blared, while others played pool. According to evidence, Jesus Ramirez and Alberto Sifuentes were also there; a bartender saw them and a woman who was with them testified they played tunes on the jukebox. When the lights came on, it was two in the morning.

Around that same time, Evangelina Cruz, mother of four, was shot at the Jolly Roger convenience store in Littlefield.

Her murder happened about 35 mile away, but according to recent conclusions, because the men`s alibi witness were never found, Ramirez and Sifuentes were arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to life behind bars.

Since the sentence, Sifuentes has always told God and relatives, like sister Rosalinda Vela, that he didn`t kill the woman.

"I know that my brother is innocent since the first day," she says. After evidence was presented in a hearing to clear him of the crime about six months ago, the State of Texas agreed that Sifuentes should receive a new trial. Jesus Ramirez hasn`t gotten the same news yet, but attorney Barry McNeil says a new trial for one should mean a new trial for both.

"We hope that out of today`s presentation Judges Marshall and Klein will recommend either one of two things: a new trial for both, of course, or proclaiming their innocence, which we, of course, believe in, and then setting them free," he says.

And the defendant`s sister hopes the next time she drives to see her brother, she`ll be able to take him with her.

"I just want this to get over because I`m tired of seeing my brother in chains all the time when he`s innocent. He`s not guilty," she says.

If evidence, like the major piece coming from the Paradise Club, are accepted by the Court of Criminal Appeals, those involved with this story say, their years filled with hope could finally happen.

"Our understanding is nothing`s guaranteed, so it`s a good possibility, but nothing`s guaranteed," says Chris Vela. "They`ve maintained, their innocence since the beginning, The lawyers who`ve taken the case pro bono because they`ve believed in their innocence, and so just follow the case and see it til the end."

An end or at least a new beginning that family members keep waiting for. The end or decision for the two defendant could still be awhile. After two judges make their final ruling, then the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will make their decision. No time frame has been set, but defense attorneys feel that we could hear something before 2007.