Santiago Ventura Morales: Difference between revisions
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|birth_place= [[Mexico]] |
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|occupation= migrant farm worker <br> social worker |
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Revision as of 05:10, 26 August 2007
Santiago Ventura Morales | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | migrant farm worker social worker |
Santiago Ventura Morales is a Mexican national who was falsely convicted of murder in Oregon in 1986.[1]
Murder conviction
Morales, a Mixteco native of Mexico, was falsely accused of murdering a migrant farm worker in an Oregon strawberry field in 1986 when he was 18-years-old.[1] He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after a trial in which he was provided a Spanish interpreter, despite the fact that as a Mixteco, Spanish was not his native language.
Appeals
Morales repeatedly appealed after the conviction, but these appeals were usually denied ( 93 Or.App. 202, 761 P.2d 555 1988) & (307 Or. 303, 767 P.2d 443 1989). However, the lack of an appropriate interpreter and other deficiencies in his trial led to his conviction being overturned when it was shown that a different person was responsible for the murder.[2] The reinvestigation drew intense media attention locally and nationally.[1] Current Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul De Muniz was Morales’ primary defense attorney on the successful appeal.[1]
Aftermath
This injustice to Morales led the Oregon Supreme Court to adopt changes in the way language issues are dealt with to avoid future problems.[2] Additionally, Morales was given a scholarship to attend the University of Portland where he graduated with a degree in social work and then went on to work within the Oregon Law Center.[1]