Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

Frank O'Connell spent nearly three decades in prison for a Pasadena murder he didn't commit.

Now finally freed after nearly 10,000 days behind bars, he says it was the shoddy work of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department that put him there - and he is demanding restitution.

Our Los Angeles wrongful conviction attorneys are educated in forensic sciences, and we know that many cases such as these have arisen with the advent of DNA evidence. It's now becoming clear just how faulty the sheriff's department was in so many of its criminal investigations.

This case started back in 1984, when O'Connell, then a former high school football star, was reportedly involved in a romantic relationship with the victim's ex-wife who was involved in a custody battle with the victim over their young son.

The victim was gunned down in the parking lot of his South Pasadena apartment. O'Connell reportedly matched the vague description given by a witness, who was on the other side of the darkened parking lot that night.

O'Connell, who at the time had his own 4-year-old son, has maintained all along that he was with friends that night.

The trial by judge rather than a jury - at the defendant's request - was based mostly on eyewitness testimony. In particular, it involved one individual who heard the shots from across the parking lot.

However, that witness years later recanted, saying the reality was he never did get a good look at the suspect. However, he felt pressured by the sheriff's detectives to make a positive identification after he had tentatively identified O'Connell during a photograph lineup.

The witness said he had been more focused on the gun in the assailant's hand, as opposed to the man's facial features.

The defendant was ultimately sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. His case was later chosen for assistance from Centurion Ministries, a group dedicated to helping free innocent prisoners.

Centurion Ministries later learned that another man had confessed to no fewer than five people regarding the crime. Further, Los Angeles police detectives had maintained a file regarding that individual, which included information detailing a prior attempt to kill the victim in this case. That involved the ex-wife and a male friend of hers attempting to run over the victim.

However, this information was hidden by the investigators and not turned over to the defense prior to trial.

Earlier this year, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that the defendant should be granted a new trial, primarily on the basis that the sheriff's department failed to disclose key records at the time of the trial that would have lead to another possible suspect. Additionally, there was evidence that they improperly influenced witnesses.

The district attorney's office has said it does not intend to retry him.

Now, he's taking legal action against the department with his lawsuit, seeking unspecified damages.