SAN FERNANDO : Suspect With Jail Alibi Cleared of Murder Charge
A San Fernando judge Thursday declared a convicted murderer not guilty of a second killing because he was in jail when it took place.
Paul Anthony Diaz, 30, could have been sentenced to death for the 1990 slaying of a suspected drug dealer, based on the “strong case” against him, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Darren Levine. A witness had identified Diaz as the killer and four informants told police that Diaz--already convicted of a murder--had confessed to them.
But Diaz was in Los Angeles County Jail at the time of the killing, according to jail records that Levine submitted Thursday to San Fernando Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen.
The judge agreed to a request by Diaz’s attorney, deputy public defender Howard C. Waco, that he not only dismiss the charge but sign a declaration that Diaz was found innocent, a rare action that will erase the arrest from police computer records.
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