Gascón overturns Downey murder conviction

DOWNEY – Two men who were convicted for a 2000 killing in Downey were exonerated by District Attorney George Gascón on Wednesday, who said the men were wrongfully convicted.

The Downey Police Department disagreed with the decision.

Ronald Velasquez Jr. and Abraham Villalobos were convicted in 2001 for the shooting death of 15-year-old Michael Roybal, who was shot as he opened the door of an apartment he was visiting on Deming Street in Downey, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Despite initially saying she should could not see the perpetrators, a witness to the shooting positively identified Velasquez and Villalobos during the trial.

Velasquez was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. Villalobos was convicted of second-degree murder as an abettor to the crime, and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Villalobos was paroled in 2015, but according to the Loyola Law School’s Project for the Innocent, he was immediately deported to Mexico and has been unable to return to see his family in Los Angeles.

According to prosecutors, Velasquez filed a conviction-review request with the District Attorney’s Office in 2021, and new evidence pointed to a man named Sergio Torres as the gunman.

Torres was killed in a drive-by shooting in October 2001, prosecutors said.

In court Wednesday, Velasquez and Villalobos were both declared factually innocent, and Velasquez was released from custody.

“Our commitment to seeking the truth is unwavering,” Gascón said in a statement. “The exoneration of these two men serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability within our own office and throughout the justice system.”

Velasquez’s attorney, John Hanusz, called the exoneration a long time coming.

“Ronald Velasquez Jr. and his family worked tirelessly for more than 20 years to demonstrate his innocence, and their pleas for justice fell on deaf ears -- until today,” Hanusz said in a statement. “Mr. Velasquez Jr.’s exoneration also would not have been possible but for the pro bono work of private investigator Dana Orent.”

The Downey Police Department released a statement saying it did not agree with the DA’s findings.

“The Downey Police Department did not participate in the [DA’s] investigation,” the statement read. “The City of Downey and the Downey Police Department disagree with the outcome of the...investigation and are disappointed in the District Attorney’s decision.

“This case was prosecuted before a jury, which rightfully convicted both Velasquez and Villalobos of murder based on the substantial amount of evidence presented. Any ‘new’ evidence that was reviewed by the [DA] does not support a reversal of this outcome. Additionally, the convictions themselves were repeatedly affirmed on appeal by the state courts as well.

“The Downey Police Department continues to maintain community safety as its top priority, and carries its duties with the highest integrity and accountability standards. The [Conviction Integrity Unit] investigation and decision by the District Attorney was not in any respect due to the Downey Police Department’s handling of the case.”