He spent months behind bars—until a Larry David show and a Baseball game proved his innocence
It can be devastating to hold onto patience and hope when things don’t seem to be working out. However, when fate calls, every clue, detail and coincidence works out to bring success. A man named Juan Catalan was wrongly faced with murder charges, The New York Post reported. Suffering for a crime he didn’t commit, he spent months in jail, wondering if he’d ever find freedom again. He tried everything, gave the truth his best shot over and over again and nothing worked until, after a long wait, he saw hope. Comedian Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a baseball game helped Catalan find victory.
It was a coincidence that made him a prime suspect to begin with. As Catalan was driving to his family shop on May 12, 2003, he stopped in the parking lot only to be held at gunpoint by the cops. He was taken in as a suspect for the murder of 16-year-old Martha Puebla. The woman had testified against a gang and Catalan’s brother, Mario, was also charged and serving time. Since the man was present in the court during the hearing, it seemed to be an easy guess that he wanted to take revenge for his brother. Catalan did his best to explain that he was elsewhere when the murder took place but with an eye-witness testifying against him, he was already losing.
So, where was Catalan that time? His love for Baseball answers. From a young age, the fan recalled going to the Dodgers Stadium to catch a game. On that day, too, he coincidentally happened to acquire tickets for the game. “I wasn’t supposed to be at that game. It gives me chills to think about,” Catalan remarked. He had gone to watch the game with his 6-year-old daughter and cousin but despite their witnessing, he was still moved to the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail. “I felt like I was being framed,” he said. The only thing that could save him was solid proof. Todd Melnik took up Catalan’s case but despite looking for footage, he found no leads.
The accused luckily remembered there was a cameraman on his side during the game. Turns out, David was shooting an episode of “The Carpool Lane” for his show. The lawyer rushed to find what could have been the only saving grace for Catalan. As he intently stared at the footage, he finally found what he desperately needed — a glimpse of his client, NBC News revealed. Catalan’s daughter had asked for a snack, and when the duo were about to return to their seats, they were stopped by the crew to avoid interrupting the filming. For some reason, the person decided to let them go, and as they made their way to the stands, they were captured on the footage.
“Can you imagine if Melissa had not asked for a snack?” Catalan said. It had been over a month since Catalan had been in jail. Despite the footage, he still wasn’t off the hook. The murder took place at 10.32 pm and the man was spotted at the stadium around 9 p.m. It was still possible that he committed the crime at the scene, 20 miles away from the stadium. But fate wouldn’t let injustice prevail. Call records showed that Catalan picked up a call from his girlfriend at 10.12 pm and records revealed that it was at the stadium itself. He was finally declared innocent. “I felt like the weight of the world [was] off my shoulders. I broke down,” Catalan recalled.
View this post on Instagram
“If Juan had been home that night, he might be on death row right now. That’s how crazy this was. Only by happenstance did he get tickets. Only by happenstance would [‘Curb’] be filming in his section that night,” Melnik exclaimed. In 2007, Juan received $320,000 in a settlement of his civil lawsuit against the LAPD and the city of Los Angeles for false imprisonment, misconduct and defamation. The next year, a gang member, Raul Robledo, was found guilty of the murder. As he recalled that fateful night, he still credits the game and his love for the sport. “The Dodgers are a part of me. People ask, ‘Why are you a fan?’ For one thing, they saved my life,” he said.
More on Amplify
Court orders man to pay ex-wife $215K for 25 years of unpaid housework for incredible reason