El Paso City Council Approves Consultants for Daniel Villegas Civil Rights Suit
Case Summary
The El Paso City Council unanimously approved hiring consultants to assist with a civil rights lawsuit filed by Daniel Villegas against the city and several El Paso Police Department officers. Villegas was wrongfully convicted of capital murder in 1995 for a 1993 drive-by shooting that resulted in two deaths. His conviction was overturned in 2013, and he was acquitted in 2018 after spending over two decades in prison. The lawsuit, initiated in 2015, alleges that the actions of the El Paso Police Department violated Villegas's civil rights during the investigation and prosecution of the case. The council's decision to engage consultants indicates the city's intent to carefully manage the legal and financial implications of the lawsuit. This development reflects ongoing efforts to address potential liability stemming from alleged misconduct by law enforcement officials and the resulting wrongful imprisonment of Villegas.
Key Issues
- • Civil rights violations
- • Wrongful conviction and imprisonment
- • Police misconduct
- • Municipal liability
- • Use of expert consultants in litigation
Case Timeline
1 eventEl Paso City Council votes to hire consultants in Daniel Villegas civil rights lawsuit
El Paso City Council votes to hire consultants in Daniel Villegas civil rights lawsuit EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — The El Paso City Council voted Monday to hire consultants to handle a civil rights lawsuit against the city tied to the case of Daniel Villegas, who was falsely imprisoned for two decades. As KFOX14/CBS4 previously reported, Villegas was convicted of capital murder in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison for the 1993 drive-by shooting deaths of Armando Lazo and Robert England. The conviction was later overturned in 2013, and Villegas was acquitted in 2018. Upon his release, Villegas filed a lawsuit in 2015 against the city of El Paso and several El Paso Police Department officers who handled the case, citing EPPD’s actions “impaired his rights.” At a City Council meeting on Monday, a motion to hire consultants for the civil rights lawsuit passed unanimously.