While awaiting justice in his case, NCIP client David Losoya recently succumbed to Valley Fever and died in prison.
David Losoya, 1956 – 2015
David was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1978 based on faulty eyewitness identification and spent 37 years in prison before his death on June 23, 2015. Authorities believed the crime was related to the Nuestra Familia gang and David was erroneously assumed to be a Nuestra Familia member. As a result of this false gang identification he was placed in solitary confinement where he remained for the vast majority of his 37 years in prison.
Within months of his conviction authorities had reliable evidence proving that David was innocent of the crime, but nothing was done to rectify the wrongful conviction. In 2014 and 2015, NCIP uncovered evidence of David’s innocence, as well as additional evidence that he was not a Nuestra Familia member. We were weeks away from filing a petition to challenge David’s conviction when we received notice that he had died of Valley Fever.
This is not the resolution that we were so fiercely working toward, but we want to honor David Losoya. NCIP and Santa Clara University are holding a memorial service to commemorate David’s life on Thursday, September 3rd at 10 am at the Mission Santa Clara de Asis on Santa Clara University’s campus. Please join us and David’s family and friends in remembering him.
We hope to see you there. If you are unable to attend, please keep David and his family in your thoughts.
