Jurors reach verdict in Daniel Villegas murder trial

Daniel Villegas has been found not guilty of murder.

The jury was handed the case to deliberate before 5 p.m. Thursday night, and reconvened at 8:30 a.m. Friday morning to decide their verdict.

Around 10:30 AM the jury asked the judge for evidence regarding a phone conversation with cousin David Rangel, specifically laughing in the background during call. They also wanted a report about Lazo running from a shooter, as well as an autopsy report.

The Jury was sill deliberating at 2 PM and Daniel Villegas told our reporter, Saul Saenz, that he became more nervous as jurors took longer to reach a verdict.

As of 2:30 PM the jury was deadlocked, but the judge still asked the jury to keep deliberating.

Just before 5 PM, the jury came down with a not guilty verdict. Villegas was seen crying on the floor after hearing the verdict. Applause erupted in the coutroom.

This is the third time Villegas has stood trial in this case. In 1993, Villegas admitted to shooting and killing Armando “Mando” Lazo and Robert “Bobby” England. He claimed the confession was coerced by then-detective Al Marquez and recanted his story. His first trial ended in a hung jury on 1994, but in 1995 he was convicted. After serving 18 years in prison, his conviction was overturned by an appeals court on the basis of ineffective counsel.

At the start of his third trial, Villegas, now a father of three, rejected a last-minute offer for a plea agreement that would have sentenced him to time served. Villegas wants to clear his name, defense attorney Joe Spencer told ABC-7.

This week, defense lawyers did not call for any witnesses and claimed the state failed to provide a scintilla of evidence.