April 19, 2008 - 11:14PM
By LAURA B. MARTINEZ/The Brownsville Herald
BROWNSVILLE - Judy R. Lopez grows more restless each day her brother-in-law, Joe Lopez, sits in prison.
She
says he was denied a fair trial and is asking his large and extended
family to step up for the Tejano singer who is serving a 32-year
sentence in a Huntsville prison.
Joe Lopez was convicted in
October 2006 on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and
one count of indecency with a child, a teenage relative.
With
Judy Lopez leading the crusade, a large group of Joe Lopez fans stand
behind the singer, nearly two years after the cell door slammed behind
him.
"We are with him (sitting) in there too," Judy Lopez said.
A
hearing before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for the former Grupo
Mazz frontman could take months, even years. According to court
records, there has been no recent activity regarding Lopez's case.
Meanwhile, Judy Lopez's efforts continue with the "Justice 4 Joe Lopez" campaign and Web site, justice4joelopez.org, which is pushing nearly 400 signatures on a petition proclaiming his innocence.
"This
organization will help fight for justice for Joe and for many other
innocent people who sit behind bars today on crimes which they did not
commit," Judy Lopez's letter to U.S. senators and representatives reads.
She
plans to send similar letters to state senators and representatives,
outlining what she claims are "injustices" documented in court
transcripts.
She claims she observed jurors watching television
news, which is prohibited during trial. She also claims a male juror
said he believed Lopez was guilty before deliberations began.
Another
complaint involves jury selection, during which, Judy Lopez claims, one
juror declared she would not consider probation and was selected
anyway. In her review of court transcripts, she claims she found Lopez
was not present at a meeting between the judge and attorneys in the
case, which she asserts is against the law.
District Attorney
Armando Villalobos could not be reached for comment Saturday. However,
shortly after the trial, he said Lopez was convicted of "very heinous
crimes."
"He just doesn't deserve to walk the streets anywhere," Villalobos said at the time.
Of
the conviction, Villalobos said, "It shows that no one is above the law
and that our county takes these things pretty seriously. It was
difficult because he's a Brownsville native. He's a celebrity for
Brownsville, so you don't know how many people he's known or affected
throughout the years."
In January 2007, after Lopez filed a notice of appeal, Villalobos said his office had heard from fans and family members.
"We
got a lot of people saying that we did a good job. We really didn't get
any negative feedback. I'm sure his family was unhappy with us."
Outside
the courtroom, Judy Lopez's campaign has won the unlikely support of
Jesse Camarillo, publisher of Scream Magazine, which keeps tabs on
convicted sex offenders and publishes their photographs to alert
neighborhood residents when a registered offender moves in.
It
was a "160-degree turnaround," Camarillo said of his decision to
feature a conversation he had with Lopez right before his trial in 2006.
Camarillo
said he has also done extensive research on the Lopez trial proceedings
and, "I believe him," he said. "He tells me he's innocent and I believe
him."
During his trial, Joe Lopez maintained his innocence but has not granted an interview since his sentencing.
Messages from loyal fans speak for him.
"I
have known Joe since childhood and know that while Joe might be capable
of many things, he is not capable or would ever have the need to rape
anyone," Mera Champion wrote in a Web site posting.
"I was his
catechism teacher," Champion, a Brownsville resident, said on Friday.
"I knew both him and Jimmy when they were young."
"Joe has been
falsely accused of this crime. I believe he is innocent and a new trial
will reveal injustice," Jaime Requenez said.
Joe Lopez's popularity continues in the music industry that embraces his talent.
His
last album, "Joe Lopez, Jimmy Gonzalez y Grupo Mazz: The Last Dance
Mazz Live Reunion," was released in February 2007 to high sales. The
song "A Las Escondidas" won Best Regional Mexican song at the 2007
Latin Grammy awards. It was also nominated for song of the year at the
2008 Tejano Music Awards.
Jimmy Gonzalez, a lifelong friend that
had broken from Lopez years before they collaborated on the "Reunion"
album, accepted the awards on the group's behalf.
Joe Lopez