DA Hochman Announces Vacated Convictions for Wrongly Imprisoned Woman and Man in 2007 East Hollywood Murder

Judge William C. Ryan granted the petition to vacate the convictions of Charlotte Pleytez and Lombardo Palacios

LOS ANGELES, CA (Dec. 23, 2024) — Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced today that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan vacated the convictions and ordered the immediate release of Charlotte Pleytez and Lombardo Palacios, each who spent more than 17 years in prison for an East Hollywood murder in 2007.

“Our justice system must be both fair and accurate, and this case highlights the critical importance of never resting until justice is done, reviewing even past cases with the utmost care to ensure that the right and just result is reached,” District Attorney Hochman said.

“I want to extend my deepest apologies to Ms. Pleytez and Mr. Palacios for the years of hardship they endured due to these wrongful convictions.

“I also want to recognize the tragic loss of Hector Luis Flores and share my heartfelt condolences with his family. His death is a painful reminder of the heavy responsibility we bear to ensure justice not only holds the right people accountable but also honors the lives of victims and their families.”

On March 28, 2007, at approximately 10:20 p.m., Flores was shot after a verbal altercation in a shopping center parking lot in the 5200 block of Sunset Boulevard in East Hollywood. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

During the investigation, eyewitness identifications and other circumstantial evidence led to the arrests of Pleytez and Palacios. On Oct. 6, 2009, based on this evidence, a jury convicted Palacios and Pleytez of first-degree murder. Each was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. Those convictions and sentences were affirmed on appeal.

Over 13 years after the convictions, the DA’s Office was invited to work with lead attorney Ellen Eggers, Pleytez’s attorney Matt Lombard, Palacios’ attorney Nicolas Tomas, and the California Innocence Advocates to secure justice for both individuals. Tomas — Pleytez and Palacios’ then-sole attorney — submitted the initial request to the office’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) in November 2022.

“We are reluctant to say justice has been done, because the injustices our clients have suffered for nearly two decades are unfathomable, but this is definitely a cause for celebration,” Lombard said.

Tomas added, “Charlotte, Lombardo, their families, and the entire legal team are profoundly thankful to the Conviction Review Unit for having provided a platform to present this case and for working collaboratively to uncover the truths which ultimately set our clients free.” 

Megan Baca of the California Innocence Advocates said the defense team was “heartened by DA Hochman’s commitment to correcting wrongful convictions and his remarkable efforts to secure our clients’ immediate release, enabling Charlotte and Lombardo to spend their first Christmas in 17 years home with their families, where they’ve always belonged.”

Tomas had discovered Pleytez’s and Palacios’ claims of innocence to be credible while still in law school and began working to exonerate both. Separately, attorney Rob Scroggie and private investigator John Brown began investigating the case at the request of Pleytez’s mother. Over time, Tomas, Brown, Lombard, and Eggers combined efforts, eventually joining forces with Baca. The collective investigation yielded new evidence pointing to new suspects.

DA Hochman commended the work of Pleytez’s and Palacios’ counsel: “The lawyers for Pleytez and Palacios were professional, persistent, and painstaking in their work to bring new evidence forward. They are to be commended for their tremendous efforts as they have exhibited the finest qualities of the legal profession.”

The CRU, with Pleytez’s and Palacios’ attorneys, filed a joint petition to vacate the convictions and find Pleytez and Palacios factually innocent. Judge William C. Ryan vacated the convictions and granted their release Dec. 20 in Dept. 56 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. The DA’s Office will seek a finding of factual innocence at a later date.

The DA’s Office provided a supplemental letter to the Court in support of the habeas petition and release, clarifying its position on the underlying investigation and prosecution and the reasons for the requested relief.

DA Hochman stated: “The DA’s Office asserts that, following a detailed review and analysis of the investigation and prosecution of the 2009 convictions, there is no evidence to suggest that any of the investigating officers, responding officers, or prosecutors involved in the case acted inappropriately, unethically, or illegally in performing their duties in the investigation and prosecution of this case given the applicable case law and state of the evidence at that time. The request for relief in this case was based entirely on new evidence uncovered by the joint CRU and defense investigation.”