The court found that the defense attorney failed to properly authenticate evidence from Nepal, which could have established that Sapna’s birthdate was actually April 28, 1983, and that she was the one who altered her passport, which would have invalidated many of the charges against the defendant.
Judge Janene Beronio granted Ajay Dev release on his own recognizance, overturning the conviction and setting aside the DA’s request for bail, and agreed to some of the DA’s conditions, but not others.
Ajay Dev’s conviction was overturned after 16 years due to a series of legal errors, mishandling of evidence, and newly surfaced facts that challenged the credibility of his accuser, highlighting the difficulties in undoing a wrongful conviction in California’s justice system.
Yolo County Superior Court Judge Janene Beronio granted habeas corpus relief to Ajay Dev, overturning his 2009 conviction for sexually assaulting his adopted daughter, and a bail hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Defense attorney Jennifer Mouzis argued that the prosecution’s approach in the Habeas hearing for Ajay Dev was “transactional” and that the state had ignored cultural nuance and credibility, while Deputy District Attorney Steven Mount argued that the defense failed to present credible evidence and that the legal burden of proof was not met.
By Madison Whittemore WOODLAND, CA – A Black man facing sentencing for vandalism, theft, and possession of…