The Exoneration of Dieter Tejada

Deskovic Foundation client Dieter Tejada was originally convicted of assault after he got into a fight as a high school senior in 2008. Dieter's claims of self defense were ignored, and faced with a possible maximum prison sentence of 10 years, he accepted a prosecution offer to plead guilty, and imprisoned for nine months. Subsequently, Dieter graduated from college, then law school, but even after passing his bar exam, had trouble being admitted to the bar due to the conviction. During this process, Dieter found discrepancies in the police reports of the incident. The Deskovic Foundation took Dieter on as a client, working with attorney Alexander Taubes. The Foundation found that significant exculpatory material had been removed from the original police reports, including that the person Dieter claimed attacked him had been diagnosed with a violent conduct disorder, tested positive for barbiturates and alcohol, and was given antipsychotic medication when treated after the incident. A prosecution witness was located that recanted and admitted that his original statement was false. As a result of these findings, attorney Alex Taubes was able to file an application on behalf of Dieter seeking an absolute pardon on actual innocence grounds, which was granted on September 6, 2023, finally exonerating Dieter after 15 long years.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

A detailed account of the case of Dieter Tejada can be found at The National Registry of Exonerations