Jeffrey Deskovic was wrongfully imprisoned at 17 for the rape and murder of 15-year-old Angela Correa, in 1990. In 2006, he was released as an innocent man. In this article, we will cover the gross misconduct of the police officers involved, the shameless negligence of two famous judges, and the comeback Mr. Deskovic has made despite these monumental setbacks.
The article below runs through the details of the case. You can also watch an interview with Jeff on our podcasts:
For Part 1, go to Jeffrey Deskovic — A Fight for Justice: Part 1
ARREST & CONVICTION
On November 15, 1989, a 15-year-old high school student was raped and murdered. The police concluded that she had been killed via strangulation and a fractured skull. Three hairs were found at the scene, as well as sperm.
During the 2-month investigation, the lead detectives zeroed in on the victim’s 16-year-old classmate, Jeffrey Deskovic, who had been absent from school on the day of the murder.
Deskovic was eager to meet with police because they convinced him that they needed his help to solve the crime. Along with a desire to bring justice to Angela, he wanted to become a police officer when he grew up, so working alongside real detectives meant a great deal to him. After the first meeting, his mother refused to allow him further contact, so he secretly rendezvoused after school, unknowingly falling into a trap — the detectives vacillated between one of colleagues and that of detectives with a suspect.
Over the next 6 weeks the detectives intermittently recorded about 4 hours of their interactions. During that time, he was told that the only way to eliminate him as a suspect was to give a blood sample, which he agreed to. Meanwhile, he continued to interact with the police, much to the amusement of the detectives who were slowly working to prove he had committed the crime.
