Ok, loses his job, is seperated from his daughter, family and friends, has his good name defamed, and is put into prison for 5 1/2 months.
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Police arrested Catalan in August, alleging he killed Martha Puebla, 16, in the San Fernando Valley on May 12, 2003, because she had testified against his brother in another case.
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Ok, so there is a bit of evidence, but circumstantial.
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He said he had ticket stubs from the game and testimony from his family as to his whereabouts the night Puebla was killed. But police still believed he was responsible, saying they had a witness who placed Catalan at the scene of the slaying.
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Why is he not allowed to use his own evidence to corroborate his whereabouts?
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Catalan said he asked to take a lie detector test, but was refused.
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He is refused a lie detector test. Why? This should have been presented by Catalan's lawyer to aid in his defense! Why would he be refused? Anyone with a legal background know why this wasn't used to keep him out of prison?
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Defense attorney Todd Melnik subpoenaed the Dodgers and Fox Networks, which owned the team then, to scan videotape of the televised baseball game and footage from its "Dodger Vision" cameras. Some of the videotapes showed where Catalan was sitting but Melnik couldn't make him out.
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Where was Melnik before? Seems he forgot a few things about being a defense lawyer. Defending his client was one of them.
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Catalan, who could have faced the death penalty had he been convicted of murder, was released in January because a judge ruled there was no evidence to try him.
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Ok, so he wasn't convicted, but I think there is something wrong with our legal system if someone loses 5 1/2 months of his life in prison because he is "Guilty until proven innocent".
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Catalan, now raising his family and working with his father as a machinist, has submitted a claim against the city of Los Angeles, alleging false imprisonment, misconduct and defamation of character.
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Hope he sues the crap out of them!!!!