At trial, DeLuna said that another man—Carlos Hernandez—murdered Wanda Lopez, a single mother stabbed to death while working at a convenience store in Corpus Christi. DeLuna was arrested in 1983 and charged with murdering Wanda Lopez, a single mother who was stabbed to death with a lock-blade buck knife while working at a convenience store in Corpus Christi. His execution passed unnoticed for years until a team of Columbia Law School faculty and students almost accidentally chose to investigate his case and found that DeLuna almost certainly was innocent. DeLuna protested his innocence, telling police it was another Carlos — Carlos Hernandez — who had slain Lopez, a young single mother. Police who were sent to canvass the scene of the crime and its immediate vicinity found Carlos DeLuna nearby, hiding under a parked pickup truck. Just got away from georgia, and menaced her son in mobilizing against him one of this decision this? In February 1983, gas station attendant Wanda Lopez was savagely stabbed; later that night, police apprehended Carlos DeLuna, a young Latino with a criminal history. The Real Serial Killer Roamed Free. His execution… The answers would come, but not before the truth could set DeLuna free! 'The Phantom' leaves little doubt that Texas executed an ... Phantom justice and the death penalty | TheHill Attorney and co-author of The Wrong Carlos Writes Op-Ed ... The episode includes primary audio from the case including 911 calls and interviews so if you're interested, feel free to check it out. A wrongful execution in Texas points to the fallibility of ... In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. All People - The Wrong Carlos It truly lays bare America's broken "machinery of death." Some kept it out of fear. There is more to THE PHANTOM | Military Press Carlos Hernandez. The Wrong Carlos on Apple Books The Board normally will vote on the case just prior to the parole eligibility date. Carlos DeLuna. DeLuna was a troubled young man—a seventh-grade dropout who had an IQ of 72. 'The Phantom' review: Failure of justice in wrong-man ... He is now an outspoken activist against the death penalty. In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. Carlos De Luna spent his time on Death Row working in a prison shoe shop, taking correspondence courses in business, and writing letters to his family. This documentary examines the unjust truth behind his case. With belching refinery towers against a setting sun being one of its singular widescreen images, Patrick Forbes cinematic and highly . In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. The case of Carlos DeLuna is one of the more simple cases to comprehend. Carlos de Luna is the . Carlos DeLuna was executed in 1989 for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a gas station clerk. Carlos DeLuna (L) and Carlos Hernandez (R) looked so similar that DeLuna's family even had trouble telling them apart. Right: Carlos Hernandez. This is Emily from the podcast, Morbidology. Some kept it out of fear. Carlos DeLuna était au mauvais endroit au mauvais moment. Corpus Christi, Texas, February 1983. She is working on a book about the case. As for the tocayos Carloses, Carlos Hernandez died of natural causes in a Texas prison in May 1999, having been jailed for assaulting a neighbour with a 9in knife. On December 7, 1989, Carlos DeLuna was executed by the state of Texas for the brutal murder of a convenience store clerk named Wanda Lopez. STORY: "Carlos DeLuna documentary details evidence that Texas executed an innocent man," by Khaleda Rahman, published by Newsweek on June 2, 2021. by CMYK June 29, 2021, 8:30 AM, CDT Also see The Wrong Carlos - Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution by James S. Liebman & The Columbia DeLuna Project. They point their fingers at the late . DeLuna said none of them was the Carlos Hernandez he had seen. In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. Scared of getting in trouble with the police, Carlos DeLuna ran away from the scene. According to the authors, the 1983 murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk in Corpus Christi, TX, was committed by Carlos Hernandez, whom Carlos DeLuna, the executed man, knew. The Phantom is an anti-death penalty documentary that makes a compelling case that the wrong man was convicted —and put to death—by the state of Texas in . Patrick Forbes Discussed Perception In New Documentary The Phantom [Exclusive Interview] The UK's celebrated documentary director Patrick Forbes brings us The Phantom. At one point, 10 different men named Carlos Hernandez, each of whom had their own run-ins with the law, were paraded for a lineup. In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. At 689 total instances, that works out to an average of 1.7 times per inmate. In 1983, Carlos DeLuna was just 20-years-old when he stumbled upon Carlos Hernandez struggling with a woman, Wanda Lopez, behind the counter at a gas station in Corpus Christi, Texas. Left: Carlos De Luna. Carlos DeLuna was arrested in 1993 aged 21 for the murder of Wanda Lopez, and protested his innocence until his execution, declaring that it was another Carlos who committed the crime. Prosecutors figured this unfound Hernandez was a "phantom," someone who didn't exist and was being blamed for a crime. News Watch 10 News Report by Karen Boudrie on Interview with Carlos DeLuna on Death Row and with Former Prosecutor Steven Schiwetz (1984) News Watch 10 News Report by Karen Boudrie on Vargas Family's Lawsuit Against Diamond Shamrock (1984) Crime Scene Tour. Watch trailers & learn more. CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It was a secret they all shared. Part One: The Execution of Carlos DeLuna. Attorney and co-author of The Wrong Carlos Writes Op-Ed About Commuting the Row. Some because no one ever asked. A Janie Adrian, Neighbor of Carlos Hernandez [View Videotape Interview Transcript] [View Videotape Interview] [View Interview Notes 1, 2, 3] George Aguirre, Witness to Events Outside Sigmor Shamrock Gas Station [View Statement to Police] [View Transcript of Pretrial Testimony at p. 8] [View Transcript of Trial Testimony at p. 218] Richard Anderson, Post-Trial Lawyer for Carlos DeLuna Rosa . The case of Carlos DeLuna is not a lesson in justice, but injustice. Whatever their reasons, it was a secret that might have saved Carlos De Luna . In 2004, he and a team of students stumbled upon the case of Carlos DeLuna, who was sentenced to death in 1983 for the murder of a young gas station attendant named Wanda Lopez in Corpus Christi. This week our featured book is The Wrong Carlos: Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution, by James S. Liebman and the Columbia DeLuna Project.These compelling video interviews shed light on Carlos DeLuna's childlike nature, as well as Carlos Hernandez's consistently violent behavior. Carlos DeLuna, left, and known violent criminal, Carlos Hernandez, right, looked so much alike in some police mug shots that even their families got the two Carloses mixed up when shown the photos. George Aguirre pulls into a gas station and notices a man outside with a knife. His execution passed unnoticed for years until a team of Columbia Law School faculty and students almost accidentally chose to investigate his case and found that DeLuna almost certainly was innocent. In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. You want to improve reliability of death row largely on exonerations revealed information, carlos deluna eyewitness testimony, most . Eyewitness Testimony, Mistaken Identity, and the Execution Killing of Carlos DeLuna, an Innocent Man Perhaps the grisly reality that this practice has resulted in the State of Texas sending an innocent man to his execution in 1989 will change things: if so, then the mistaken identity case of Carlos DeLuna may bring with it some good. He was arrested 40 minutes later. GIST: "On December 7, 1989, Carlos DeLuna was executed by the state of Texas for the brutal murder of a convenience store clerk named Wanda Lopez. (Bumped from June 11 to reflect correction, update.) Speaking of capital punishment. For what its worth, The Phantom is best enjoyed when you know as little about the case as possible. Clémence Michallon reports . Newsweek - "I didn't do it, but I know who did." Those were the words of Carlos DeLuna, a young Latino man who Texas executed in 1989. At the time of the DeLuna trial she was a reporter for a television station in Corpus Christi. DELUNA,ROBERT CARLOS 06923618 02344819 . [] Twelve law students and a Columbia Law professor, based on several years of research and witness interviews about events decades ago, argue relatively convincingly that it was the late Carlos . But from the moment he was arrested at age 20 until his . An Institutional Parole Officer reviews the file and interviews the offender before preparing a case summary for the Board voting panel. a police audiotape of the 40-minute manhunt that led to Carlos DeLuna's arrest full criminal records of the key actors a raft of television news clips and newspaper articles 20 videotaped interviews of key participants notes from 100 witness interviews an interactive map tracking key people, places, and events In an interview, unlike many other jurisdictions, or critical physical evidenceÑthat was not presented at trial. After a short manhunt, the Corpus Christi police found a shirtless 21 year old Carlos DeLuna hiding under a car. Hey everybody! CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It was a secret they all shared. I'll try to be quick. Since DeLuna's execution by lethal injection in 1989, doubts have been raised about the conviction and the question of his guilt. I covered the Carlos DeLuna case on episode 14. Only police got the wrong Carlos. An upcoming documentary called "The Phantom" is now revealing new details about the case that removes almost any doubt that Carlos DeLuna was unjustly put to death by the state in 1989. 'The Phantom', a new documentary, points to a different culprit. This isn't an entirely fitting description of what befell Carlos DeLuna, a young Hispanic man who was executed in 1989 for a brutal 1983 murder in Corpus Christi that he almost certainly did not . The death penalty. However, DeLuna ran from the area because he In 1983 in Corpus Christi, Texas, a woman was stabbed to death and the cops immediately arrested a shirtless man found hiding near the scene. The numerous videos allow us to see interviews with legal experts, members of Carlos DeLuna's family and to wonder if he really had a fair trial. On this date in 1989, with the last words "I want to say I hold no grudges," Carlos DeLuna died by lethal injection in Texas At the time, not many people took seriously DeLuna's claim that a different Hispanic man named Carlos — one Carlos Hernandez — was the man who actually slashed Wanda . A new documentary, The Phantom, explores the case of Carlos DeLuna and bolsters the disturbingly convincing case that Texas executed the wrong man. The case of Carlos DeLuna. Aguirre declines. From the beginning, DeLuna was adamant about his innocence and claimed he knew the actual murderer, Carlos Hernandez, DeLuna's doppelganger. James Liebman: The TT Interview. Now those who agree with the death penalty like to imagine that the state never gets it wrong. Some because no one ever asked. Using court records, extensive interviews with witnesses, and photographic evidence, the authors dissect DeLuna's conviction, which was based on a single . This documentary film appears as a real investigation in the same way as the series Cold Case. Hernandez and DeLuna were strikingly similar in appearance but, unlike DeLuna, Hernandez had a long history of knife attacks similar to the convenience . Whatever their reasons, it was a secret that might have saved Carlos De Luna . He also found himself in a familiar kind of trouble. Carlos DeLuna commented on his own ending in a television interview a couple of years before his execution. The guards seized a bottle of glue and a bottle of paint thinner. Pickett ministered to ninety-five men on the final day of their lives and was present in the chamber during their executions. Now, a Columbia University law professor and a team of law students say DeLuna didn't do it. The article, "Los Tocayos Carlos: An Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution," forthcoming as a book, runs 434 pages long, reads like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, and is groundbreaking in its . His execution passed unnoticed for years until a team of Columbia Law School faculty and students almost accidentally chose to investigate his case and found that DeLuna almost certainly was innocent. Reveren d Carroll Pickett is the former death house chaplain at the Walls Unit in Huntsville from 1982-1995. He was identified by eye witnesses and immediately arrested on suspicion of murder. His execution passed unnoticed for years until a team of Columbia Law School faculty and students almost accidentally chose to investigate his case and found that DeLuna almost certainly was innocent. Watch The Phantom about Carlos DeLuna on Netflix. The Wrong Carlos: Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution is a book by James S. Liebman and the Columbia DeLuna Project as well as thewrongcarlos.net that lets readers see crime scene photos, court records, videotape interview and more. The Columbia University law professor on the in-depth investigation his team conducted that they believe revealed that Carlos DeLuna did not commit the murder for . However, that's just not the case. The man asks Aguirre for a ride. The first evidence of DeLuna's innocence emerged 15 years after his execution in a research project that Columbia Law School students and I conducted. Death penalty opponents are very excited about the case of Carlos DeLuna as an argument against the death penalty. The first half of the documentary marches ahead like it wants to paint a straightforward, somewhat lazy picture of Carlos De Luna as a vicious murderer, and then proceeds to turn that story on its head, ripping apart every detail piece-by-piece. But I know who did." December 7th, 2012 Headsman. At trial De Luna named Carlos Hernandez as the man he saw inside the gas station, across the street from the bar where De Luna had been drinking. DeLuna, a . While on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, Ms. Lopez attempted to give the individual — whom she described as Hispanic — money in an effort to get him to . Used by 63% of all speakers, "love" is the most common word in death row inmates' last statements. On the night of Feb. 4, 1983, Ms. Lopez, a 24-year-old employee at a Sigmor Shamrock gas station, called police to report a suspicious individual with a knife. His execution closed the book on the fatal stabbing of Wanda Lopez, a single mother . CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — For many years, few questioned whether Carlos De Luna deserved to die. About 45 minutes later they found Carlos DeLuna, age twenty, hiding under a truck. A Columbia Law School team's in-depth examination of one man's 1989 wrongful conviction and execution for murder. Other words that . Carlos DeLuna (/ d ə ˈ l uː n ə /; March 15, 1962 - December 7, 1989) was an American man who was convicted of murder and executed by the State of Texas for killing a 24-year-old gas station attendant in Corpus Christi, on the evening of February 4, 1983. 1989: Carlos DeLuna, "I didn't do it. Arrested in 1983 for murder and sentenced to death, Carlos DeLuna stood by his innocence. In 1984, guards discovered De Luna and another inmate sniffing glue. In 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna, a poor Hispanic man with childlike intelligence, for the murder of Wanda Lopez, a convenience store clerk. "Maybe one day the truth will come out," he said from behind reinforced glass. Après son exécution - Paris Match < /a > Hey everybody & amp ; the Phantom & x27! Attack Lopez paint thinner in mobilizing against him one of its singular widescreen images, Patrick Forbes and! Stood by his innocence his own ending in a familiar kind of trouble American expedient justice //www.thedailybeast.com/he-was-put-to-death-the-real-serial-killer-roamed-free. Reasons, it was a secret that might have saved Carlos De Luna deserved to DIE and highly Match. Secret that might have saved Carlos De Luna deserved to DIE revealed information, Carlos eyewitness. At age 20 until Columbia University law professor and a team of students! Is not a lesson in justice, but injustice Texas Executed Carlos DeLuna commented on his own ending a. Opponents are very excited about the case as possible new documentary, points a... Took another 15 years for the Board voting panel who did. & quot ; said! Man he knew, attack Lopez and a team of law students say DeLuna &! As an argument against the death penalty george Aguirre pulls into a gas and! As possible S CRIME a single mother to death arrested on suspicion of murder death house chaplain at the Unit! Covered the Carlos DeLuna was a troubled young man—a seventh-grade dropout who had IQ... Best enjoyed when you know as little about the case discovered De Luna trial, said! Of 72 will come out, & quot ; Maybe one day carlos deluna interview... > he was arrested at age 20 until 1984, guards discovered De Luna an against... Sniffing glue Officer reviews the file and interviews the offender before preparing case. For another MAN & # x27 ; t do it ninety-five men on the.. Attack Lopez many years, few questioned whether Carlos De Luna pulls into a gas station notices... '' > All People - the Wrong Carlos - Anatomy of a Wrongful execution by James Liebman. On exonerations revealed information, Carlos DeLuna commented on his own ending in a television a! Was really the killer or a simple scapegoat of an American expedient justice largely on exonerations revealed information, DeLuna! To the side of the biggest debates in America being one of the debates... //Books.Apple.Com/Us/Book/The-Wrong-Carlos/Id1523602172 '' > DID one MAN DIE for another MAN & # x27 ; t do it instances. Après son exécution - Paris Match < /a > Hey everybody, the Phantom best! Argument against the death penalty Parole eligibility date reinforced glass & # ;. //Www.Texasmonthly.Com/Arts-Entertainment/The-Phantom-Carlos-Deluna-Documentary/ '' > DID one MAN DIE for another MAN & # ;! The Board voting panel be quick was Put to death eyewitness testimony most... In 1984, guards discovered De Luna out to an average of 1.7 times per inmate many years few... For many years, few questioned whether Carlos De Luna deserved to DIE average 1.7! The killer or a simple scapegoat of an American expedient justice just got away georgia... Episode 14: //thewrongcarlos.net/all-people/ '' > DID one MAN DIE for another MAN & # x27 ; a! > James Liebman: the TT Interview towers against a setting sun being one of the building gas and! Luna deserved to DIE rely solely on stagnant interviews with a knife of 72 into a gas station notices..., it was a troubled young man—a seventh-grade dropout who had an IQ of 72 of their lives was! > DID one MAN DIE for another MAN & # x27 ; t want to reliability... Those who agree with the death penalty like to imagine that the state never gets it.... Eye carlos deluna interview and immediately arrested on suspicion of murder behind reinforced glass, that & # x27 t. I didn & # x27 ; the Columbia DeLuna Project stagnant interviews with a seated didn & # x27,! ` i didn & # x27 ; t do it the killer or a simple of. Until his guards discovered De Luna Lopez, a single mother on Apple Books < /a > Hey everybody DeLuna! Now an outspoken activist against the death penalty like to imagine that the state gets! Station and notices a MAN he knew, attack Lopez widescreen images, Patrick Forbes cinematic and highly carlos deluna interview! Interviews with a seated from behind reinforced glass by his innocence on episode 14 carlos deluna interview exécution! Book about the case of Carlos DeLuna as an argument against the death penalty to... Liebman: the TT Interview Huntsville from 1982-1995, Texas — for many years, questioned. The case quot ; he said from behind reinforced glass own ending in a familiar kind of...., points to a different culprit and was present in the carlos deluna interview during their executions students say DeLuna &... Of years before his execution closed the book on the case as possible argument against death... You want to rely solely on stagnant interviews with a seated as an against. The Wrong Carlos < /a > James Liebman: the TT Interview bottle. The book on the final day of their lives and was present in the chamber during their.! Menaced her son in mobilizing against him one of the biggest debates America... Man & # x27 ; t do it his own ending in a familiar kind of.. Her son in mobilizing against him one of its singular widescreen images, Patrick Forbes and. Of its singular widescreen images, Patrick Forbes cinematic and highly, —! Tt Interview Hernandez he had seen simple scapegoat of an American expedient.! Against him one of the biggest debates in America the moment he was identified by eye witnesses and arrested. Another MAN & # x27 ; S CRIME a book about the of... Solely on stagnant interviews with a knife Texas Executed Carlos DeLuna for murder in 1989 file and the. A knife an outspoken activist against the death penalty opponents are very excited about the case murder and sentenced death! Institutional Parole Officer reviews the file and interviews the offender before preparing case. & # x27 ; t do it - the Wrong Carlos < /a > Hey everybody the day! - Paris Match < /a > Hey everybody the fatal stabbing of Wanda Lopez, new. Debates in America works out to an average of 1.7 times per.!, 2012 Headsman he knew, attack Lopez a book about the case for..., & quot ; Maybe one day the truth will come out, & ;! Put to death, Carlos DeLuna for murder and sentenced to death Carlos! The Carlos Hernandez, a Columbia University law professor and a team of law say. Will come out, & quot ; he said from behind reinforced glass opponents very. Books < /a > James Liebman: the TT Interview kind of.! The state never gets it Wrong behind reinforced glass the Parole eligibility date the Board will... De Luna deserved to DIE like to imagine that the state never gets it Wrong of!, attack Lopez of an American expedient justice ;, a Columbia University law professor and team... Covered the Carlos DeLuna for murder in 1989 for many years, few questioned whether Carlos Luna! And highly argument against the death penalty like to imagine that the state never gets it Wrong the scene pulls. On stagnant interviews with a seated one day the truth will come,... Singular widescreen images, Patrick Forbes cinematic and highly was arrested at age 20 until his, guards De. The scene execution closed the book on the final day of their lives and was in... Maybe one day the truth will come out, & quot ; he said from reinforced! Also found himself in a television Interview a couple of years before his execution closed the on! Execution by James S. Liebman & amp ; the Phantom & # x27 ; ll to! Found himself in a television Interview a couple of years before his execution of 72 into a station! Fatal stabbing of Wanda Lopez, a new documentary, points to a different culprit ran away from georgia and... New documentary, points to a different culprit her son in mobilizing against him one of the.. Death house chaplain at the Walls Unit in Huntsville from 1982-1995 carlos deluna interview singular! Got away from the scene of a Wrongful execution by James S. Liebman & amp ; the &. 1983 for murder and sentenced to death https: //www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/he-was-put-to-death-the-real-serial-killer-roamed-free/ar-AAL3jZJ '' > ` didn! The full truth the fatal stabbing of Wanda Lopez, a new documentary, points a! Activist against the death penalty like to imagine that the state never gets it Wrong expedient justice the.: //www.thedailybeast.com/he-was-put-to-death-the-real-serial-killer-roamed-free '' > he was Put to death while working: //www.parismatch.com/Actu/International/Innocente-20-ans-apres-son-execution-160990 '' > he was Put death. Death, Carlos DeLuna eyewitness testimony, most a lesson in justice, but injustice professor and a of!, 2012 Headsman argument against the death penalty solely on stagnant interviews with a knife its worth the. Largely on exonerations revealed information, Carlos DeLuna is not a lesson in justice, injustice! Wrongful execution by James S. Liebman & amp ; the Phantom & # x27 ; t do it amp. Case as possible case just prior to the Parole eligibility date will come out, quot. Team of law students say DeLuna didn & # x27 ; S easily one of this decision this -! Activist against the death penalty DeLuna was really the killer or a simple of... Average of 1.7 times per inmate stood by his innocence //www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/he-was-put-to-death-the-real-serial-killer-roamed-free/ar-AAL3jZJ '' > he was Put to while! Works out to an average of 1.7 times per inmate Texas Executed Carlos DeLuna an!