WNT: Inmate's Murder Confession Overlooked
T U L I A, Tex., Oct. 22 -- It seemed straightforward. In 1988, Christopher Ochoa and Richard Danziger were charged with the rape and murder of 20-year-old Nancy DePriest.
Ochoa confessed, and a jury sentenced Danzinger to life in prison. But Achim Marino, now serving three life sentences for sexual assault and other crimes, says neither man is guilty.
“There’s two innocent men in prison for a crime that I did,” Marino says.
Christopher Ochoa and Richard Danzinger are serving life sentences for a rape and murder Marino says he committed.
Confession Letter Sent to BushIn February 1998, Marino wrote a letter to Gov. George Bush admitting his guilt.
“You all are legally and morally obligated to contact Dansinger [sic] and Ochoa’s attorneys and families concerning this confession,” the letter read.
But no one did.
“I did these crimes alone,” Marino says. “I don’t know Ochoa or Danzinger, never met them. They’re innocent.”
His claim of innocence is supported by recent DNA tests. But ABCNEWS has also learned that preliminary DNA testing on the same material implicated Marino.
On the campaign trail, Bush said it was a matter for local law enforcement.
“Marino’s case was fully looked at by the Austin police department,” he said.
Case Is Under Review
Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, the local prosecutor who sent these men to prison, is now reexamining the case.
“It’s a tragedy for everybody concerned,” Earle says. “If in fact these two men are not guilty, it is of course a tragedy for them.
Initially, Ochoa actually confessed to the crime. Now, he says the confession was coerced by an overzealous police officer.
“Basically, it was nothing but threats,” Ochoa says. “He showed me a picture of death row, saying ‘you’re going to die for this crime, even if you didn’t do it.’”
Attorneys for Ochoa say the case is symptomatic of a larger problem in the state of Texas.
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