Just when he most needed a victory in a high-profile criminal case to jump-start his candidacy for U.S. Representative to District 27, a jury refused to grant Cameron County District Attorney a capital murder conviction.
Villalobos, who handpicks his cases to get the most political bang for the buck was not successful (along with First Assistant Chuck Mattingly, himself a candidate for his boss' job) in convincing a jury to find Mexican Mafia “captain” Wilfredo Padilla guilty of capital murder.
However, they did offer him a consolation prize of convicting Padilla of murder and engaging in organized criminal activity in the murder of a 33-year-old Harlingen mother after three days of deliberations.A Cameron County jury sentenced Padilla to 50 years in prison for the murder charge and 30 years for engaging in organized criminal activity, along with a $10,000 fine for each conviction.
He will serve the sentences concurrently after serving a 20-year federal sentence for a prior drug conviction.
The case presented Villalobos with a "sexy" opportunity to come out tough against the feared and notorious prison gangs which operate behind the walls of the penitentiary and reportedly order hits and criminal activity from behind bars.
Proving that Padilla had ordered the hit of the Harlingen woman in payment for a $30,000 debt owed him by a Mexican Mafia gang member proved the stumbling block for Villalobos and his first assistant. As is the norm in these cases where the victor doesn't come waving his laurels, Villalobos left the statements to his assistant instead of facing the media himself.
Mattingly told the local daily that the legal requirements to have a jury issue a guilty verdict in a capital murder case such as that involving prison gang members were too high to overcome.
For starters, Padilla was not present at the scene of the crime and the only witnesses to the murder of Jo Ann Chavez, herself involved in the gang’s drug trade, were members of Padilla’s Mexican Mafia crew.
Their testimony needed to be corroborated in some way by independent evidence.
Mattingly said that these issues proved insurmountable to the prosecution of Padilla.
Mattingly said that these issues proved insurmountable to the prosecution of Padilla.
"He gives orders," he said. "He has two, sometimes three, layers of insulation by the time we get to him."
Mattingly's (and Villalobos' consolation, we assume) was that Padilla will be off the streets for at least half a century. However, he was already serving a 20-year federal sentence for a prior drug conviction when he was charged by Villalobos with the capital murder."In the end, we got a murderer off the street," Mattingly said lamely.
Aside from Vilalobos' candidacy for the congressional seat, Mattingly himself would have basked in the glory of a capital murder conviction if the jury had issue don in the Padilla case. Mattingly is running for Cameron County District Attorney, as is former D.A. Luis Saenz, current DA Asst. Maria De Ford and former DA Asst. Carlos Masso. Masso is also a commissioner with the Brownsville Navigation District.
If Padilla had gotten the death penalty, it would have pumped lifeblood into the candidacy of Villalobos and Mattingly.
The prosecution's strategy of using Mexican mafia gang members who were offered plea bargains in return for testifying against Padilla, a fact that apparently made the jurors doubt the credibility of their testimony.
Defense attorneys Ed K. Cyganiewcz and Trey Garza III honed in on this fact and questioned the trustworthiness of the testimony of Padilla’s Mexican Mafia crew. Some of them were actually involved in the Chavez murder took the stand to say Padilla ordered the murder.
Cyganiewcz said that the jury took the matter seriously enough to question the evidence presented to them by the prosecution.
Cyganiewcz said that the jury took the matter seriously enough to question the evidence presented to them by the prosecution.
Chavez’s actual killer, gang member Marcos Solis, refused to testify or corroborate the allegation that he agreed to commit the murder in order to repay a $30,000 debt he owed Padilla. The prosecution's case hinged on that testimony. Instead, another Mexican Mafia member testified to the debt and its repayment.
An inmate who met padilla while the jury deliberated his sentecne after his conviction on the lesser charges reproted that Padilla was scoffing at the verdict and the efforts of Villalobos and the prosecution team.
"No traiban nada," he said as he sat alone in the cage wearing his state-afforded suit off the rack and new black leather shoes. "Se chingaron."
An inmate who met padilla while the jury deliberated his sentecne after his conviction on the lesser charges reproted that Padilla was scoffing at the verdict and the efforts of Villalobos and the prosecution team.
4 comments:
So the killer refused to testify? Juanito, fresh from your warm stay at county jail, answer this, was the killer afraid to testify? Was it part of the puto code to STFU or else, bruto? Maybe those prison inmates you cozied up with were part of the same prison gang. Were you initiated into any of them, Juanito? Tell us, bato loco.
Who is the one that claimed the "Port Bridge to Nowhere" was closed?
Who is the one that "found" 1 million dollars in unearned Port bond money in Danenbamum's hands?
Who is the one that seized that money for the use of his own office and didn't give it back to the port?
Who is the one that also sued Cameron County to demand the right to manage the civil affairs of the County and was found to have no basis in fact or law to make that claim?
Now, who do you want in Congress?
A.B.M.
Welcome back! Just to let you know, Armando Villalobos did not present the whole trial. He only appeared for the good parts. He was too busy getting everything ready for his announcement. If fact he had his office manager, that ding bat blonde Monica and some of the interns and part timers putting everything together on COUNTY TIME for his announcement. He has been in violation with his Exploratory Committee but he is too strong for anyone to challenge it or file a grievance to the Ethics Committee in Austin. The problem is that he has filed and what happens if the district lines change? We'll have to wait and see on that one!
pura caca doddle do ese mando v
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