- Juan Catalan, an American citizen was incarcerated for murder – a crime that his innocence was later proven through the help of footage of where he was at the time of the murder
- He went back to his normal life after he was found not guilty and his story has been told in a documentary that won several awards
- His lawyer created a GoFundMe page for Catalan and his family
Juan Catalan, a mechanic in Los Angeles found himself wrapped in a controversial murder case that may lead to his spending his life in prison if found guilty. In fact, he spent over 5 months incarcerated as he was said to have killed a 16-year-old girl, Martha Puebla.
Following his exoneration, he received $320,000 compensation and he moved to continue his work at his family’s machinery while also trying to obtain a degree. He also cares for his family which includes his daughter. Also, his tale has been told through an American documentary, Long Short. Frankly, Juan’s story exposes the fault in America’s justice system.
Here is the complete story of his fall, rise, exoneration, and life of “luck”!
What Happened To Juan Catalan After His Exoneration?
Following Juan’s exoneration, his case became famous in the United States and beyond. In turn, he also gained fame. Following the case, the court ordered that he be given $320,000 in compensation.
Juan also continues to live with his family, including his first daughter, Melissa Catalan who was only 6 years old at the time of his arrest. Then, he also had a girlfriend Alma Oseguera. Perhaps, he may be married to her – or not!
Moreso, he returned to school to get his associate’s degree and intends to also obtain a degree in business.
The case also drew a lot of attention and was adapted into a Netflix short documentary, Long Shot. It was released in 2017 and gained several awards and nominations. Some of these include an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Short Documentary and Hamptons International Film Festival for Audience Award in the Best Short category.
Catalan’s case became evident that the American justice system is not perfect. In fact, questions such as how many people may have been thrown to prison or even sentenced to death for crimes they didn’t commit.
In fact, according to statistics, between 4-6% of people incarcerated in US prisons are actually innocent.
How He was Incarcerated for Murder
Catalan was in August 2003 for the murder of Martha Puebla, a 16-year-old who was shot dead outside her home in San Fernando Valley, California.
The murder of Puebla came months after she testified in a murder case against Vineland Boys gang member Jose Ledesma and co-defendant Mario Catalan. The latter happens to be Juan’s cousin and the authority thought that there was a motive for him to have killed Puebla.
On the day of his arrest, Juan was with his daughter and girlfriend, Alma Oseguera outside his home. He would spend the next 6 months of his life in prison and wondering if he may spend the rest of his life serving punishment for the crime he did not commit.
While in custody, Catalan continued to plead his innocence and said he was ready to take a polygraph. However, the police denied the request.
In fact, LAPD detective Martin Pinner claimed to have a witness who identified Juan. The detective also had a sketch of Juan to prove his claims.
Unfortunately for him, he was transferred to a super-maximum security prison. This form of prison is for those considered dangerous. Prisoners are also left in solitary confinement in with little to no access to natural light.
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How He Was Proven Innocent
In the heat of his being accused of murder, Juan got a lawyer, Todd Melnik. Fortunately for him, Melnik believed he was innocent and was also dedicated to proving that in court.
While trying to find all the needed evidence, it came to light that Juan was at the Dodgers’ baseball game with his daughter the night the murder was committed.
His lawyer reached out to the legal team of the Dodgers and was given the authority to review the game film. After spending hours, there was no sign of Juan.
According to some sources, Juan recalled Bob Einstein’s name being mentioned at the game. Einstein was a character on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm show and Melnik reached out to him as soon as he could.
Melnik was given access to the video footage of the show. Again, he started watching without any luck until his leap of faith brightened when he saw Juan and his daughter. In fact, Juan appeared in three different takes in the stadium.
However, the prosecutor, Beth Silverman who had never lost a case said that the footage showed Juan at the stadium between 8:55 and 9:15 p.m.
So, the prosecutor’s argument was that even though Juan was indeed present at the game, authorities received the call about Puebla’s murder at 10:43 pm. This means that Juan may have left the game earlier to commit the heinous crime.
Then, a cellphone ping showed that Juan was still at the stadium at 10:12 p.m. This means that he could not have left the stadium at the time and still been able to get to the murder scene.
In a nutshell, Judge Leslie Finn passed a not-guilty verdict on him.
Investigators, Martin Pinner and Juan Rodriguez who were responsible for the case were separated as partners. Rodriguez was transferred to an auto theft detail while Pinner remained a homicide detective in North Hollywood.
Jose “Peps” Ledesma had earlier spoken to Javier Covarrubias about killing Martha but the recording was not actually used by the LAPD until after about two years in 2005. They later admitted their roles in the killings.
Others involved are Javier Covarrubias and Raul Robledo.
