Daniel Villegas turns down plea deal ahead of third murder trial

25 years after his first trial, Daniel Villegas will face a jury once again, hoping to clear his name.

On Monday, a 12-person jury consisting of eight women and four men was selected for the third murder trial for Villegas.

Villegas and his legal team turned down a plea deal offered by the prosecution called an Alford Plea that would have essentially set him free.

Villegas’s attorney Joe Spencer told ABC-7 that Villegas was not interested in accepting the plea deal and wants to clear his name.

“It’s a huge risk, its a huge risk, because he could end up having a life sentence,” Spencer said.

In 1993, Daniel Villegas, who was 16 at the time, was accused of killing Armando “Mando” Lazo and Bobby England in a drive-by shooting in Northeast El Paso.

After being interrogated by police, Villegas confessed to the double murder, but then denied it hours later.

In 1994, Villegas’s first trial ended in a mistrial. In his second trial, Villegas was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Villegas told ABC-7 in 1995 he felt cheated after he was convicted.

“I thought I was going to be innocent in the end,” Villegas said.

That sentence was later appealed. 18 years later, in 2013, Villegas’ conviction was overturned.

Denise Butterworth, who was the assistant to the original prosecutor Jaime Esparza, will now be the lead prosecutor.

The prosecution will not be able to use jailhouse phone records between Villegas and his family or a taped confession from a then-16-year-old Villegas who claims he was forced to confess.

“He’s pretty nervous, especially with the offer (the prosecution) made and he rejected it. (He) just wants to put this behind him and clear his name,” Spencer said.

Opening arguments in this trial will start at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Look for updates from ABC-7 on air and online.