SAN ANTONIO – A woman who has spent more than a decade fighting to clear her name from a sexual assault case is about to be released on parole.
Anna Vasquez and three of her friends were accused of abusing two little girls in 1994. They claimed they were innocent but jurors didn’t believe them and sent all four to prison.
A documentary film crew from Austin has been chronicling the case. The film’s producer tells News 4 WOAI their cameras were rolling as one of the victims recanted her statement, saying she was afraid for years to admit she’d been lying.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s website shows Vasquez will be released on parole November 2. She was 19 years old when the accusations were made. She’s now 37 years old and will continue to try to clear her name for good.
Vasquez and the other three suspects had been hanging out and babysitting the seven-year-old and nine-year-old alleged victims. The two girls are nieces of one of the suspects and later accused all four women of sexually assaulting them.
The trials were especially sensitive at the time because all four suspects either had been or were currently involved in lesbian relationships.
Since they were sent to prison, the Texas Innocence Project and other groups have been fighting for their exoneration, claiming the evidence and polygraphs tests prove they didn’t commit the crimes.
