’WPCt Ø"ŸķłšHXŁˆ3u6Qöö‡?‚D÷­‡f/ž¾Š’s*.Œo²ŸĮŹł Ōn¹īĒ~·öLÉź (˜£?ģ”ÜbĘ"äĻ-E²ö‹¤¬}§f#$ØŻÜ—šŻIe1Š”ą\ų"IĄ±ćCz…N›Ég¶, n±([Ö4©ŗ^Ī¢VćāŒ$Ļ`Ķ"źKŠÜąxS!ŹHĀ”ķ  £ˆĆĶV¶īŃ4l]љi²ųCŽeT®į>% tšåi²7Ŗ«‹7Ū’¦žé³õ©ąu˜Ž:.”ēҁ”¾ņoć#ļņo÷ÖzMÓ[ė<Č­ŹF©0ęŽ<Ź­ų@Õ&n¦%ց½g% µ*hm>©ūæĻi±ˆ„/‚š ģŅüæ{ŽĘHž.9ö4;»ŪÅg(ŁGĮ čRĮ:ś*̤{¼Ī¤Žī³ŖŻˆIHs½«é,†/œzMŌ¹ļ½DŠ8-C³ŪĀ–ę1ŗ˜¤`• – ”u©“M;"÷%šģXŻĶ¹:™Ąüt·ŹŽ‘»š[Ė„f1Öc¦i ¹öhsō!čćk<ž×‹,wO9@ŽA…;?Ķ"h”Ņa] āB.EīgÓū²…ĆÅ!„U.Ä %ņU<ų4nTD 0@˜NŲw@Ś4. m0#!G^ h<ž6X9`(CourierX%ō\  `$Times NewRoman3|x«<ž6X9`(CourierXōxž6X@ɹ`7ūX@%ō\  `$Times NewRomanXXjō\  PŽ6G;XP(Č$””Ó  ÓŃ  Ń D  D  D DDāh³(eskt;ƒ’U‹’ĄĄĄ˜HP OfficeJet Series 600 Printer`˜,,,,`˜0*Y*ׯ ƒČ!ŻÓ  ÓŃ  ŃŻ  ŻŌ€X»XXXŌŌ_Ōą@B B ģąņ ņSUMMARY€OF€JUAN€MELENDEZ'S€CASEó óˆŠ ° ŠĢą  ąOn€September€13,€1983,€after€closing€his€school€of€cosmetology€Delbert€Baker€wasĻmurdered.€€His€body€was€found€at€about€8:30€pm.€after€his€male€roommate€had€the€police€notifiedĻbecause€Mr.€Baker€was€late€coming€home.€€Some€of€Mr.€Bakerššs€jewelry€was€missing,€althoughĻthe€days€receipts€were€still€in€his€briefcase.€€Mr.€Baker€was€homosexual€and€had€been€known€toĻhave€encounters€at€the€school€after€closing.€€The€Medical€Examiner€estimated€that€the€time€ofĻdeath€was€approximately€7:30€p.m.€€ĢĢą  ąTerry€Barber€had€stopped€by€the€school€at€a€little€before€6:00€pm.€€The€door€was€unlockedĻand€he€walked€in.€€Mr.€Baker€came€out€of€the€backroom€a€little€surprised.€€Mr.€Barber€saw€thatĻMr.€Baker€had€company€in€the€back.€€He€told€the€police€that€he€believed€that€Vernon€James€andĻhis€friend€known€as€Bobo€were€the€two€males€he€saw€in€backroom.€€While€incarcerated€on€otherĻcharges,€Vernon€James€told€another€inmate€that€he€and€Mr.€Baker€had€been€having€a€sexualĻrelationship.€€On€the€day€of€the€killing,€he€and€two€other€men€had€killed€Mr.€Baker.€€A€lawĻenforcement€officer€confronted€Mr.€James€with€this€information,€and€Mr.€James€admitted€hisĻpresence€at€the€homicide.€€Even€though€Vernon€James€was€a€suspect,€he€was€neither€arrested€norĻcharged€with€the€homicide.ĢĢą  ąInstead,€in€February,€1984,€Juan€Melendez€was€arrested€and€charged€with€first€degreeĻmurder€and€robbery€on€the€basis€of€David€Luna€Falconššs€claim€that€Mr.€Melendez€had€confessedĻthe€murder€while€they€were€doing€cocaine€together€and€after€Mr.€Falcon€had€bragged€about€beingĻa€gangster€and€having€killed€š šmaybe€twentyšš€people€in€Puerto€Rico.€€In€late€1983,€Mr.€MelendezĻhad€befriended€Mr.€Falconššs€father€and€stepmother.€€The€relationship€was€close;€he€called€themĻš špašš€and€š šmama.šš€€In€December€of€1983,€Mr.€Falconššs€father€went€to€Puerto€Rico€and€broughtĻMr.€Falcon€back€with€him€because€he€was€in€trouble€there.€€Mr.€Melendez€and€Mr.€Falcon€did€notĻget€along.€€Mr.€Melendez€had€a€falling€out€with€Mr.€Falconššs€parents.€€Various€people€reportedĻthat€Mr.€Falcon€announced€his€intention€to€get€Mr.€Melendez.€€Then€in€February,€Mr.€Falcon€wentĻto€the€police€claiming€that€Mr.€Melendez€told€him€that€someone€drove€him€to€Mr.€Bakerššs€andĻthat€he€and€a€third€person€went€inside€and€killed€Mr.€Baker.€€After€this€conversation€with€Mr.ĻMelendez,€Mr.€Falcon€talked€to€people€on€the€street€and€gathered€information€regarding€Mr.ĻBakerššs€homicide,ńń.€ńń€ń ńoń ńń ńOń ńnly€then€did€ń ńheń ńń ńMr.€Falconń ń€go€to€the€police.€€ĢĢą  ąMr.€Melendez€and€John€Berrien€were€then€arrested.€€The€charges€against€John€BerrienĻwere€reduced€to€accessory€after€the€fact€to€which€he€pled€no€contest€and€agreed€to€testify€againstĻMr.€Melendez€in€exchange€for€the€possibility€of€probation€as€a€sentence€depending€upon€hisĻtestimony.€€Meanwhile€in€May€of€1984,€Mr.€Falcon€was€accused€of€committing€an€armed€homeĻinvasion,€in€which€he€fired€a€gun€at€an€eight€year€old€child.€€One€of€the€victims,€the€childššs€father,Ļhad€a€pending€drug€charge.€€As€a€result,€a€police€officer€obtained€from€the€childššs€mother€a€waiverĻof€prosecution€and€the€investigation€against€Mr.€Falcon€was€dismissed.€€ĢĢą  ąThe€State's€theory€of€the€case€at€trial€was€that€Mr.€Melendez,€John€Berrien€and€GeorgeĻBerrien€drove€in€John€Berrien's€car€to€the€victim's€beauty€salon€in€the€late€afternoon€of€SeptemberĻ13,€1983.€€John€Berrien€testified€that€he€dropped€off€Mr.€Melendez€and€George€Berrien€in€theĻvicinity€of€the€beauty€salon€and€returned€for€them€two€hours€later.€€€Neither€Mr.€Melendez€norŠ @-(, ŠGeorge€Berrien€had€any€blood€on€them€or€their€clothes.€€The€next€day,€according€to€John€Berrien,Ļhe€drove€George€Berrien€and€Mr.€Melendez€to€the€train€station,€where€George€Berrien€boarded€aĻtrain€for€Wilmington,€Delaware.€€At€the€train€station,€Mr.€Melendez€purportedly€handed€GeorgeĻBerrien€some€jewelry€and€a€gun€which€George€Berrien€was€supposed€to€sell€in€Delaware.€€ĢĢą  ąThis€theory€rested€solely€on€the€testimony€of€John€Berrien€and€David€Luna€Falcon.€€Mr.ĻFalcon€told€the€jury€that€when€he€was€in€Puerto€Rico€he€had€been€working€undercover€for€theĻJustice€Department.€€No€physical€evidence€connected€Mr.€Melendez€to€the€victim's€death€orĻsupported€the€theory€regarding€his€participation€in€the€offense.€€ĢĢą  ąIn€his€defense,€Mr.€Melendez€provided€an€alibi.€€Four€witnesses€testified€that€in€the€lateĻafternoon€through€the€evening€of€September€13,€1983,€Mr.€Melendez€was€with€Dorothy€Rivera.€ĻMr.€Melendez€testified€on€his€own€behalf.€€George€Berrien€was€also€called€by€the€defense€toĻrefute€the€allegations.€€Other€witnesses€testified€that€Mr.€Falcon€had€a€grudge€against€Mr.ĻMelendez€and€had€threatened€to€kill€him€before€coming€forward€with€Mr.€Melendez's€allegedĻconfession.€€ĢĢą  ąMr.€Melendez€also€tried€to€call€Vernon€James€to€testify.€€However,€Mr.€James€invokedĻthe€Fifth€Amendment€and€refused€to€testify.€And€the€judge€refused€to€allow€the€defense€to€callĻthe€law€enforcement€ń ńofficer€ń ńto€whom€Mr.€James€had€admitted€being€there.ĢĢą  ąOn€the€basis€of€the€State's€highly€suspect€case,€Mr.€Melendez€was€convicted€andĻsentenced€to€death.€€John€Berrien€received€two€years€probation.€€George€Berrien€was€neverĻcharged€with€any€offense,€although€he€testified€at€the€trial€as€a€defense€witness€and€thus€wasĻcertainly€available€to€authorities,€and€although€the€State€argued€at€trial€that€he€was€"equallyĻguilty"€and€"equally€involved€.€.€.€in€committing€the€murder".ĢĢą  ąMr.€Falcon€and€John€Berrien€were€crucial€witnesses€for€the€State.€€However,€substantialĻinformation€undermining€the€credibility€of€Mr.€Falcon€and€John€Berrien€existed€which€the€juryĻdid€not€know.€€The€jury€did€not€know€that€David€Luna€Falcon€received€$5000€for€his€testimonyĻagainst€Mr.€Melendez.€€In€addition,€the€jury€did€not€hear€that€Mr.€Falcon€had€been€serving€aĻforty„five€year€sentence€in€Puerto€Rico€for€a€homicide€conviction.€€After€escaping€from€prisonĻand€being€apprehended€Falcon€agreed€to€testify€against€individuals€in€a€€New€Jersey€murder€trial.€ĻAfter€he€testified,€Mr.€Falcon's€sentence€was€reduced€and€he€was€released€from€prison.€€ĢĢą  ąAs€to€John€Berrien's€testimony,€the€jury€never€heard€that€John€Berrien€told€the€policeĻseveral€stories€that€were€inconsistent€with€the€testimony€he€provided€at€trial.ĢĢą  ąńńIn€1994ńńńńTen€years€laterńń,€Mr.€Melendez€presented€another€four€witnesses€ńńto€a€judge,€ńńduring€his€postconvictionĻappeals,€who€testified€that€Vernon€James€had€confessed€to€participating€in€Delbert€Baker'sĻmurder.€€One€of€the€witnesses€was€an€attorney€in€whom€Vernon€James€confided€prior€to€Mr.ĻMelendez's€trial.€€Additionally€at€that€hearing,€John€Berrien€recanted€much€of€his€inculpatoryĻtestimony€against€Mr.€Melendez.ĢĢńńą  ąA€few€years€after€the€prosecution€and€conviction€of€Mr.€Melendez,€the€lead€investigatorĻfrom€the€Auburndale€Police€Department€and€Mr.€Falcon's€"handler"€was€fired.ńń