Daniel Villegas, El Paso wrongful conviction case, arrested

Daniel Villegas, the El Paso man who gained national attention when he was found not guilty of a double murder in prison following a 25-year legal saga, has been arrested on domestic violence charges.

El Paso police arrested Villegas on a charge of assault on a family member and booked him into the El Paso County Jail on Wednesday, July 17, according to jail records. He was released from jail the same day after posting $2,500 bail.

“Daniel has been under a lot of stress since his acquittal and the upcoming civil trial in federal court,” said his attorney Joe Spencer. “He has integrated amazingly well into society after being falsely accused and imprisoned and having so many people try to take advantage of him. I have spoken to Daniel and he was the one who was attacked, but since his acquittal he has been a target. I look forward to resolving this case hopefully without political interference.”

A civil lawsuit filed by Villegas against the city of El Paso is pending in federal court. Villegas is outspoken about wrongful convictions and earlier this year wrote a guest column in the El Paso Times against Democratic district attorney candidate James Montoya, who served as prosecutor in his 2018 trial.