| First Name | David |
| Last Name | Vasquez |
| Year of Conviction | 1985 |
| Year of Exoneration | 1989 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Non-Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | Virginia |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | Guilty Plea |
| Type of Crime | Murder |
| Death Sentence | No |
| Gender of Exoneree | Male |
| Race of exoneree | Hispanic |
| Juvenile | No |
| Mentally Ill or Intellectually Disabled | Intellectually Disabled |
| Description / Quotes from Testimony Concerning Defense | Alibi notice presented prior to guilty plea. |
| Types of evidence at trial |
|
| Were non-public facts alleged? | Yes |
| Type of Forensic Evidence |
|
| Types of Flawed Forensics |
|
| Brief Quote / Description of Testimony | An analyst had concluded that the defendant’s hairs were “consistent with” questioned hairs from the crime scene. |
| Identity of eyewitness |
|
| Multiple eyewitnesses | 2 |
| Suggestive Procedures | No transcript – court file indicates that people identified Vasquez as having been in the neighborhood of the victim’s house at the time of the crime |
| Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies | ● Venetian blind cords used to hang victim (see next column) BUT – leading apparent from the recording and State acknowledge that “at times his statements were virtually incomprehensible” |
| Quotes from law enforcement testimony | Guilty Plea – no trial. Excerpt from recorded interrogation: “Det. 1: Did she tell you to tie her hands behind her back? Vasquez: Ah, if she did, I did. Det. 2: Whatcha use? Vasquez: The ropes? Det. 2: No, not the ropes. Whatcha use? Vasquez: Only my belt. Det. 2: No, not your belt… Remember being out in the sunroom, the room that sits out to the back of the house? …and what did you cut down? To use? Vasquez: That, uh, clothesline? Det. 2: No, it wasn’t a clothesline, it was something like a clothesline. What was it? By the window? Think about the Venetian blinds, David. Remember cutting the Venetian blind cords? Vasquez: Ah, it’s the same as rope? Det. 2: Yeah. . . . Det. 2: (slamming his hand on the table and yelling) You hung her! Vasquez: What? Det. 2: You hung her! Vasquez: Okay, so I hung her. |
| Quotes from prosecution arguments | Guilty Plea – no trial. |
| Interrogation Recorded | Audiotape of part of interrogation |
| Highest level reached | NR |