Justice System Can Work Well

Every so often a case comes along that reminds society how intricate the criminal justice system is--and how well it can work in the hands of prosecutors and judges more interested in serving justice than pandering to public opinion.

The arrest of David J. Navarro of Santa Fe Springs is such a case.

In 1981, a gang of youths raped a woman at Huntington Beach State Park. Navarro was subsequently arrested, identified by the woman as one of her assailants, charged, tried, convicted and sentenced to state prison for 19 years.

There was only one thing wrong. Navarro didn’t do it. He knew that. So did some of his friends, the ones who committed the rape. Navarro had wandered off and was found later by police asleep on the beach. But Navarro, loyal to the code of the street, didn’t talk. He was convicted and sent to prison.

But the system that protects people’s rights kept functioning. The 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana, in considering whether Navarro had a fair trial, was not satisfied that there was enough corroborating evidence to support what they believed to be a shaky identification of Navarro. So the justices reversed the conviction. Navarro, after serving 3 1/2 years in prison, was freed on bail.

The Orange County district attorney’s office reopened the case and started its own investigation. With the help of Navarro, it cleared him of the crime and received confessions from five other gang members.

It all came about because the district attorney’s office cared about seeking the truth--and because the court’s sole concern was protecting individual rights as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Trial and appellate judges doing their jobs often attract severe public criticism when they reverse convictions, especially in celebrated cases involving violent crimes such as rape, murder and child molestation. To their credit, that doesn’t discourage them, and judicial integrity and the law prevail. When that happens, everyone wins. A free David J. Navarro is the latest proof of that.