Daniel Villegas

Just a short post today; Daniel Villegas, of El Paso, TX was tried twice and eventually convicted of shooting three teenagers back in 1993, killing one; released on bond after a judge threw out his conviction in 2014, he is now attempting to sue the city. He's currently awaiting a third trial, as the current DA believes they have the right individual.

Villegas and his backers claim that the police investigating coerced him into confessing, and his civil suit is now on hold until a criminal trial can be completed. The confession has been thrown out and it will be interesting to see if the El Paso DA carries this to trial.

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/02/26/el-paso-da-race-highlights-1993-double-murder-case/

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/09/14/exonerees-civil-suit-on-hold-pending-retrial.htm

Public Service Announcement

I have received a few comments complaining about recent blog content; specifically, an excess of my own writing and a lack of letters from Carlos Coy. I want to address these because y’all are my readers and I’m sorry you’re feeling frustrated.

This blog has never been the place to go for the latest on SPM’s music, information about Dope House, or even updates from Carlos Coy. I have never promised that because I can’t; my interest is in his case, and that’s what the blog is about. Consolidating information, highlighting problems with the Harris County justice system, and answering those who think Coy is guilty are the primary reasons it exists. When I started out, there was very little information and it was spread pretty randomly over the web. Now, most of it is here. I can’t describe the joy I feel when I stumble across an argument and see people using information they found here to make their point; it tells me that the blog has made a difference, and that is extremely cool.

TDCJ recently instituted a No-Social Media policy; it’s very broad, and everyone who communicates with an inmate has to figure out what is and isn’t permitted. This is going to be established by trial and error, over time. While we wait for that to happen I don’t expect to receive much content from SPM. My goal has been to keep this blog updated weekly just to keep the information circulating, to keep the conversation going. When I write about exonerees from across Texas, that’s what I’m doing.

This may not be information that you feel you need, and that’s fine; if you can articulate good reasons for your belief in Coy’s innocence and an understanding that the court system responsible for his conviction has a history of wrongful convictions, then the blog’s purpose has been served; you don’t need to read it. I always publish Coy’s posts under a recognizable heading (Letter from SPM, Dear Family, etc.) so that those of you who only stop in for his writing have an easier time deciding if they want to waste a click or not.

(Tl;dr: I don’t guarantee content from Carlos Coy, about Dope House, or music. Do as you will.)

Thanks for reading and whether you come back here or not, thank you for spreading the word.

Arguments 6

…aaaaand another one. I'm sorry, Linda, but now I'm getting bored. You won't engage on anything substantive, you're still circling around that "how-why" sinkhole without addressing my responses with anything more convincing than your beliefs, and you stopped sweet-talking me with those demeaning little nicknames. I just don't know if this is meant for the long-term, Linda.

Another lie worth mentioning is the "lost affidavit" lie. Coy claimed on this blog that there was a black man on the jury who believed he was innocent, but was forced to vote guilty. The man supposedly submitted an affidavit, but the affidavit was mysteriously lost. I guess no lawyer or investigator bothered to follow up on this mystery. I can only wonder why. Do you find this story suspicious? 

I’m looking at the post you’re referring to, and you’ve either got the lousiest memory of all time, or you’re lying about Coy lying in order to prove to me that he’s a liar. I’m not sure which seems more reasonable, so I’m going to go with ‘lousy memory’. Perhaps you should take that into consideration the next time you expect me to take your word for something.

What Coy actually said is that a juror mentioned this to his lawyer in passing, and Coy suggested he get an affidavit, and then didn’t hear anything more about it.

More to come... 

I can hardly wait.

Also, I've already explained the dream testimony to you. She never said the whole thing might have been a dream. You are taking it out of context again, either out of stubbornness or desperation or both.

I’m using the context I have, which is the viciously derogatory piece by the Houston Press. I could rely on your explanation, which was that she only thought it might be a dream while it was happening, but you can’t even accurately recreate what I’ve written here on the blog.

If she was being manipulated, she probably wouldn't have said anything about a dream at all. Have you thought about that?

Just for a second, listen to what you’re saying: If her testimony was manipulated, it probably wouldn’t have changed. So…If it wasn’t manipulated, it probably would change? No, wait, because you’ve maintained that her testimony has been consistent, and therefore must be true. So if it changes, it’s true, and if it doesn’t change, it’s also true.

That’s a pretty sweet con you got there; heads you win, tails I lose.

As for the civil trial, how can a jury unanimously agreeing that he was responsible for the crime and ordering him to pay 25K be seen as a victory? I read what Coy said about it on here. He stated that the jury believed him to be an innocent man, which is just delusional and dishonest. If the jury believed him to be innocent, they would not have agreed that he was responsible for the crime, and they would not have ordered him to pay any money. It's that simple. 

Coy said the civil jury was not asked ‘Did he do this?’, but ‘How much damage (monetarily) would this have caused?’ If that’s question that’s being asked, ‘Innocent’ is not a possible answer. They would have had no discretion with that question because no one would ever argue that being sexually assaulted doesn’t cause any damage. They came up with a number that seemed reasonable for that type of suffering.

The second question, though, was something along the lines of, ‘how much damage(monetarily) will Jane Doe sustain going forward?’ and their answer to that was ‘0’. It’s possible that the jury was just a set of heartless bastards who couldn’t fathom the permanent damage that a molested child suffers, but I suspect it’s more likely they felt that she didn’t sustain any damage at all because nothing happened.

I have worked with the Harris County system for a long time, and when I speak about the system, I am certainly speaking about Harris County as a whole. Can the same be said of you? You are the one who seems to be focused on a couple outlier cases. Do you call that looking at the system as a whole? As of said, the cases you have mentioned are not only irrelevant to Coy’s case, but the offenders in some of those cases haven’t really been proven innocent. Also, some of the cases you have referenced weren’t even tried in Harris County or relevant to Harris County at all. When you think about it, the arguments you are using could be applied to all criminal cases. With your logic, we probably shouldn’t even be having trials and all offenders should be released. Just because a person has been proven innocent, doesn’t mean all convicts are innocent. Hopefully you can agree with that.

With my logic, every case should be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The ‘outlier cases’, as you call them, represent years of suffering inflicted without good cause; whether the sufferer is innocent or guilty cannot and does not excuse the state from providing justice.

You would dismiss those who haven’t “really been proven innocent” as unworthy of mention, but you forget that they should never have been required to prove their innocence in the first place. It’s enough that the state did not truly have enough to prove them guilty.

If that logic were (gasp!) “applied to all criminal cases”, the justice system would be operating the way it should be.

Even though Coy was proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, I now understand that you are operating under a different burden of proof. Your standard is you want Coy to be proven guilty beyond all possible doubt, which can’t be done. There were only two people in the bedroom that night, and physical evidence couldn’t be recovered.

Wasn’t recovered, not “couldn’t be recovered”. That’s an important distinction; like an initial statement that does not exist, versus one that has been destroyed. Like the difference between might have been real, and might have been a dream. I’m just asking that we hammer out these little niggling questions before the conviction, rather than afterwards.

I’m not sure this case will ever be solvable for you, but if you want to argue that anything is possible, then so be it. However, you have to look at what’s most reasonable and realistic. The girl told a credible story. I judged her demeanor, and I watched the way she spoke. I heard the strength in her voice when she detailed the crime. She presented a story that made sense logically and realistically. She held up strong under both direct and cross examination. Parts of her story were corroborated by her family members, such as the dinner conversation Coy had with them after he drove the girl home. Finally, her story was never contradicted by the defendant. His lawyer tried to poke holes in her story, but even he couldn’t contradict it, and not for lack of trying. The defense was hopeless against a truth teller, and when Coy took the stand during the sentencing phase, he couldn’t even provide an account of what happened that was credible. You should also find out what happened during the civil trial. I didn’t attend the civil trial, but I know Coy was forced to take the stand. From what I’ve heard, his story had more holes than Swiss cheese, and he made a total and complete ass out of himself.

And coming from such a stellar beacon of truth and accuracy such as yourself, how can I doubt it? It’s crazy to think you might have seen what you wanted to see, like when you read the blog and see “Coy (or I) said [awful thing]”, and then it turns out that he didn’t, he said something related but totally different, and then you move on to something else when I point it out. That would be just looney.

“You toss out little crumbs that make you seem authoritative but can’t back them up with anything substantive.”

I’m pretty sure you must be talking about yourself because you haven’t provided anything substantive at all. The same can be said for the man that you represent. I have probably already shared more information than I should have, and I certainly am not going to provide you with confidential documents that are not part of the public record. That would be illegal for me to do. The only thing I can do is encourage you to obtain the transcripts, which you are obviously reluctant to do. But hey, at least I am brave enough to use my full name on here. Can the same be said of you?

I link to all the articles and documents I post about which is, as far as a blog goes, pretty substantive. It’s why I don’t claim that Coy has said this or that unless it’s in a conversation posted on the blog. I don’t expect people to just take me at my word, I want to provide back-up for what I say. I’m sorry you don’t share my passion for sourcing.

My name's not hard to find...periodically someone who disagrees with me will figure it out and I get a nice little death/rape/ass-whipping threat on my Facebook page...It's just good to know that people still care enough to send the very best, you know?

As for Coy receiving a new trial, on what basis? You admit you’re not an expert, you admit you didn’t attend the trial, and you admit you haven’t read the transcripts in their entirety. So what in the world are you basing your opinion on? Why in the world do you think his trial was unjust when you don’t even know what happened during the trial? Are you aware that all of his appeals have been denied? Do you know something that the appellate courts don’t know? Has Mr. Coy himself provided any kind of credible explanation to you? Has he said anything more to you other than, “I didn’t do it”?

Um, the court of appeals that refused to order a retrial for a man whose lawyer literally slept through his trial? Cockrell vs. Burdine, take a look at it.

I could go through the arguments for a new trial again, inconsistent testimony, lack of physical evidence, etc. but I’m pretty sure that if you didn't answer them in the first 5 posts it’s not going to happen this time, either.

I’m convinced you are nothing more than a biased fangirl who is bitter that her favorite rapper is a child molester. This is evident in how you defend this pig at every turn. I even read how you defended this pig impregnating a 13-year-old girl. You essentially argued, “Well, she was far enough past puberty to get pregnant, so I don’t see what the problem is.”

Oh, please, I dare you to link me to a post where I “essentially” said that. Please, I am literally begging you. Please please please. Allow me to see this post which, despite searching, I cannot find. Normally I can guess which posts you’re mischaracterizing by gauging the general flow of conversation, but this one is so far from anything I would ever say or think that I just can’t make the connection. Seriously, please give me the URL, or at least the post title. Totally begging you.

Just when I think you couldn’t be any more disgusting, I read something like that. You are clearly not objective, and this is not about justice for you. I think I understand now why you don’t use your real name. 

Here’s the thing; I could be the most disgusting, most biased, most bitter, most fanniest fangirl ever, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. To imply otherwise is to employ the Ad Hominem fallacy, which, since you are so eager to accuse me of the “Red Herring” fallacy, I am sure you are eager to avoid.

Arguments 5

Linda Bailey said,

I understand your argument, but like I’ve told you, you are using red herrings and faulty comparisons. Your argument is wrong and improper. You can’t logically compare unrelated cases to Coy’s case. Do you see the fallacious reasoning there? Do you actually understand?

I understand that you are extremely reluctant to look at the Harris County justice system as a whole, preferring to view each case as a completely separate and unique occurrence with no relation to any of the others. I reject this out of hand; the Houston cases mentioned here are created in the same county; they are worked by the same team of police investigators, child therapists, prosecutors and judges; continuing to insist that each case must be judged individually insulates the bad actors from consequences, as it keeps us from seeing how many times the same story has played out.

Also, you’ve mentioned cases (such as the San Antonio Four) where it hasn’t even been proven that the convicted were actually innocent. You would get laughed out of any courtroom, or any high school debate class for that matter, if you tried presenting any of this.

I am so pleased you brought up the San Antonio 4! The outcome of their case thus far is exactly what I would like to see happen for Carlos Coy; a reset back to square one, and a recommendation for a new trial. Since that is what they received, there is no need for them to, as you say, prove their innocence. If the DA decided to bring the charges they still shouldn’t have to prove their innocence because, in theory, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

You say that he “might” be innocent, but then you give a percentage of zero? I haven’t been accused of a crime, nor have I been on trial for one. Coy has been accused, Coy has been brought to trial, and Coy has been found guilty. That means 100% proven.

*sigh* I would like to stop repeating myself; really, I would. However, you continue to demonstrate that you cannot or will not understand that a finding of ‘guilty’ doesn’t mean that anything has been proven. Please see the many, many cases I have referenced in previous posts, perhaps starting with Anthony Graves or Michael Morton and finishing up around Ricardo Rachell.

Without physical evidence, yes. But without solid testimony? That’s a no. How dare you even say that the victim’s testimony wasn’t solid when by your own admission you didn’t attend the trial, nor have you even bothered to read the testimony in its entirety?

How dare I? There are a lot of documents out there that aren’t transcripts, Linda; enough to form an opinion, and maybe even enough to do a little agitating for change.

Your opinion is worthless until you’ve read the transcripts.

I suspect that my opinion will always be worthless to you, unless it conforms to yours exactly.

Your excuses for failing to obtain the transcripts are just that, excuses. Very lame ones at that. Instead of playing around on the internet, you need to get into action. If money is a problem, get a real job, and start saving your pennies. I also find it hard to believe that Coy can’t send you all the transcripts. Or if he can’t do it, I’m sure one of his family members could help you out. You are able to think outside the box in other aspects of this case, but you can’t when it comes to the transcripts. Interesting…

I’m just glad you’re here to give me all of these helpful suggestions.

Once again, victim testimony is strong evidence, and I have heard the child’s testimony in person. You have not, and you haven’t even read the testimony in its entirety. I believe that automatically makes my opinion much stronger than yours.

Stronger like, if they arm-wrestled, yours would win? Your opinion might be strong, but I don’t think your facts are; you refuse to share information you claim to have. You toss out little crumbs that make you seem authoritative but can’t back them up with anything substantive. You draw yourself up on an indignant little pedestal with gender-baiting, pearl-clutching self-righteousness (including non-ironic use of the phrase, “how dare you”) and claim special knowledge without the burden of proof.

I, on the other hand, am not an expert and I don’t claim to be; everything I find goes right on the blog, along with my opinion of it. I even talk to people like you, whose idea of a debate is to tell me that I’m a disgrace to my gender, fucking clueless, etc. It’s because I believe that you are capable of seeing what I see, and I respect your intelligence enough to try to make that happen.

You state that I haven’t given any proof to prove her testimony is true, but what proof have you given that Coy is actually innocent?

No, I asked you for a reasonable basis for your belief in her testimony. You gave me ‘because I believed it’ and ‘because other people believed it’. When I pointed out that mere believability has resulted in wrongful convictions, you fell back onto your ‘how, why’ mantra.

As I said before, if I had proof that Coy was innocent this blog would have a different name. The basis for my belief in Coy's innocence is what I strongly believe was an unjust trial, a trial that mimics many that have since been over-turned. It's possible that a guilty man could have received an unjust trial, of course; in either case, it should be re-done.

In that segment from the Chron, you conveniently left out the last portion, where Denise asks the girl, “What Carlos did to you – was it a dream, or did it really happen?” And then the girl responds that it really happened. Why did you leave out that last bit? Oh right, you’ve admitted you’re a biased advocate with an agenda.

Because I wanted you to bring it up, so I could point out how her testimony changed. She went from one extreme to another pretty quickly, wouldn’t you say? If she knew it really happened why on earth would she have stated, mid-trial, that it might have been a dream in the first place?

It’s almost like her testimony’s not solid, like it could be…I dunno…manipulated.

As for the lies that Coy has told, let’s see. He is lying about being innocent in this case.

I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on that one.

He told his fans he had been a drug dealer for years, but on the stand he said he had only been a drug dealer for a few months.

I don’t really involve myself in the music side of his story, but I will tell you something I’ve figured out after years of research: from what I understand rappers often use hyperbole, symbolism, and even out-right literary devices. Either that, or we’re going to have to address the issues of him shooting the tooth fairy, stealing a dead man’s Kenneth Coles, snatchin yo’bitch, and murdering various and sundry microphones.

He also said on the stand that he never slept with any of the girls who testified against him, but now on this blog he admits that he probably did.

Nope; I assume you’re referring to this post.

He has also stated many times that he “won” the civil case, when he lost.

Seeing as how the jury was required to consider him guilty and he might have been hit with a million-dollar judgment as a result, I would say the resulting verdict of 25K was absolutely a win. He spoke about it at length here on the blog.

I also read something on here where he says he has Directv in his cell, which is something else that made me laugh out loud. Through your communications with him, have you noticed any discrepancies that I’m missing?

Yeah, that was right after he got moved to Ramsey; according to TDCJ’s website some cells do have televisions, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility; he and I have discussed a few current events that he saw on TV, and since he’s in adseg I don’t think he’s watching it in the dayroom.

Until you’ve read the transcripts, I’m afraid there isn’t much point in this blog. You can say, “Well other people have been wrongfully convicted before, so MAYBE Coy was wrongfully convicted too”, but you can only say that for so long.

…and yet here you are, eating your heart out to argue with me; looks like I am making an impact.

You need actual substance to back your position up, and sadly you have nothing. Obtain the transcripts. Read them. Learn the truth.

I have an opinion about the truth; what I’d prefer at the moment is justice.