Student sleuths crack cold case

Student sleuths crack cold case

A Texas prosecutor says two men convicted of capital murder in Dallas County 12 years ago are expected to be released from prison this week after another man confessed to the crime. In April of 1997, two men entered a residence in the 4600 block of Hopkins Street in Dallas and robbed and shot Alfonso Aguilar. He died from a gun shot wound to the chest. Claude Simmons Jr., 54, and Christopher Scott, 39, were tried and convicted of capital murder that same year, and both received life sentences. Dallas County assistant prosecutor Mike Ware said Wednesday that another man confessed to the crime in a sworn statement from prison last summer. The University of Texas at Arlington's Innocence Network also played a role. Assistant professor John Stickels said he and the students researched old court documents and court transcripts and interviewed people associated with the case to help the district attorney make a decision. "Cases like this are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to have a good feeling about everything and do the right thing," Stickels said. Stickels said six students led by Natalie Ellis, a criminal justice major, worked hard on the case. Ellis said the case was difficult because there was no DNA evidence to test. "What if I'm the last hope that they have? What if I don't do my best job, and I put this case down and I walk away from it, and they really were innocent? I think that has to be the motivation," Ellis said. Dallas County leads the nation in DNA exonerations.