Francisco "Franky" Carrillo is an American politician, who was wrongfully convicted of the 1991 murder of Donald Sarpy and served twenty years in prison before his conviction was reversed by the Los Angeles County Superior Court on March 14, 2011. [1] A member of the Democratic Party, Carrillo currently serves on the Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commission. [2]
Carrillo's conviction relied on eyewitness testimony from six people. The witnesses later admitted they did not have a view of the shooter, and instead had been influenced by police officers, and each other, to identify Carrillo. Two men have since confessed to the crime, and stated Carrillo was not involved. [3]
Although always professing his innocence, Carrillo was found guilty at his second trial after his initial trial resulted in a hung jury, and subsequent appeals. After Carrillo's case was taken on by Ellen Eggers, the Northern California Innocence Project, and attorneys from Morrison & Foerster, LLP, he was able to conclusively prove his innocence.
Carrillo's story has twice been featured on the podcast Strangers by Lea Thau. His story is also told in the Netflix series The Innocence Files . [4]
In April 2021, Carrillo was selected by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to serve as the Chair of the Leadership Team of the county's Probation Oversight Commission. [5]
In April 2023, Carrillo announced his candidacy in the 2024 elections to represent California's 27th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He withdrew from the race in October 2023. [6]
In October 2023, Carrillo launched a campaign for the California State Assembly in District 52. [7] He finished 2nd behind Democrat Jessica Caloza in the primary election on March 5, 2024. Carrillo and Caloza will face off in the general election on November 5, 2024. [8]
In May 2024, details emerged regarding Carrillo's pending divorce. The documents detail existence of "numerous firearms laying around his home, unsecured and in the vicinity of his young children, ages 10 and 7, even after prompts by [his wife] to secure them." The documents also state that his wife recounted his history of harming animals, including that their daughter "witnessed Carrillo kick the family dog." The documents also call into question Carrillo's place of residency and whether he permanently resided in the 52nd Assembly District as of November 2023, to be eligible to run for the Assembly seat. [9] [10]
Carrillo has three children. [4]
Innocence Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal organization that is committed to exonerating individuals who have been wrongly convicted, through the use of DNA testing and working to reform the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. The group cites various studies estimating that in the United States between 1% and 10% of all prisoners are innocent. The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld who gained national attention in the mid-1990s as part of the "Dream Team" of lawyers who formed part of the defense in the O. J. Simpson murder case.
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