The state forensics lab that handled the evidence in Areli Escobar’s capital case was so bad that Texas officials closed it for good five years after a jury sentenced the then-32-year-old to death in 2011. The evidence in the case was so tenuous that the Travis County District Attorney’s office ultimately sided with the defense, arguing that Escobar deserved a new trial.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed that the case deserves another look.
“We are thrilled the Supreme Court stepped in to give Mr. Escobar a chance to prevent a grave miscarriage of justice in his case,” said Daniel Woofter, one of Escobar’s defense attorneys, on Monday. “We’re talking about a life or death case where all of the parties, including the prosecutors, don’t think he should be put to death without a fair trial,” he previously told the Observer.
