Two people wrongly imprisoned for a murder they didn't commit finally released after 17 years, despite initial disbelief.

Charlotte Pleytez had waited 17 long years for this moment - her first night as a free woman. It was a long, restless night as she struggled to come to terms with the fact that she was finally out of prison after all this time. She was only 20 years old and pregnant when she and another suspect, 15-year-old Lombardo Palacios, were arrested for the murder of Hector Flores in East Hollywood back in 2007. They were wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder in 2009 and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.

But now, on this night, Pleytez and Palacios were finally free. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William Ryan had officially overturned their convictions, citing new evidence that pointed to other suspects. It was a moment of immense relief and joy for both of them. Pleytez couldn't help but express her gratitude at a news conference on Monday, saying, "I just want to say how truly happy I am and how blessed I am to be standing here free after 17 years spent in a life sentence out in front of me for something I didn't do."

But despite the happiness and gratitude, there was also a lingering fear that Pleytez couldn't shake off. Years of wrongful imprisonment had left her with a deep-seated fear that she could be targeted again. She described her first night out of prison as one filled with "sheer panic" and the constant thought that "they're going to come after me again." It was a fear that she couldn't seem to escape.

The reality of their wrongful conviction hit Pleytez and Palacios hard. They had spent 17 years behind bars for a crime they didn't commit, while the real perpetrators roamed free. They weren't even at the scene of the crime or involved in any way, and the eyewitness accounts that identified them as suspects were later found to be inaccurate. It was a grave injustice, and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman took responsibility for it, apologizing to both Pleytez and Palacios on Monday.

"I owe a heartfelt apology to you, Mr. Palacios, and to you, Ms. Pleytez, for what you've gone through, for the suffering you've endured," Hochman said at the news conference. "There's no words that can truly describe what you have gone through." It was a small consolation for the years they had lost, but it was a step in the right direction.

The road to their exoneration was a long and difficult one. Advocates from the California Innocence Project worked tirelessly alongside the conviction review unit of the district attorney's office to reassess the case. For Hochman, it was a personal mission to ensure that justice was served and that the wrongfully convicted were freed as soon as possible. "When we determine that a conviction no longer has confidence, we need to move as expeditiously as possible to get the people who have been wrongfully convicted out of prison immediately," he said.

But it was not just about righting the wrongs of the past. Hochman also promised to continue the investigation into the murder of Hector Flores and bring the true perpetrators to justice. New evidence had pointed them in a new direction, and the district attorney's office was determined to follow through. "We will learn from the lessons as best we can from this case to make sure we don't repeat any of the mistakes and have another situation where people get imprisoned who shouldn't," Hochman said.

The case of Pleytez and Palacios shed light on the flaws in the system that had failed them. Their wrongful conviction was a result of coercive interrogations and inaccurate eyewitness testimonies. But changes had been made since then, and California now prohibits using deception during interrogations of people under 17 years old. However, as Hochman pointed out, there was no evidence to suggest that the investigating officers, responding officers, or prosecutors had acted inappropriately or illegally in this case. It was a matter of the limited evidence available at the time.

For Pleytez and Palacios, their ordeal was a constant reminder of the flaws in the system and the injustices that still occur. They came from poor families and had limited resources to fight their legal battles, but they were determined to prove their innocence. Pleytez, who was pregnant at the time of her arrest, even gave birth in handcuffs in county jail. It was a traumatic experience, but she never wavered in her belief that she was innocent.

And now, as a free woman, Pleytez wants to use her experience to help others who might be in a similar situation. "I'm so grateful for the system that exonerated us, but I worry still about the system that convicted us in the first place," she said. "There are people deserving of exonerations out there, and I hope they will someday be able to stand here and express their thanks just like I am." It was a message of hope and resilience, coming from a woman who had been through so much and had finally found her freedom.

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