BROWNSVILLE — Bill Habern, an attorney specializing in post-conviction law based out of Houston, turned down Tejano singer Joe Lopez’s case three times.
Reading through the court transcripts from Lopez’s 2006 trial, where he had been found guilty of indecency with a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child, did not leave Habern with an optimistic impression.
“I just didn’t see the prospect of a first conviction parole where you had the kind of allegations you had in this case,” Habern said at a Thursday afternoon press conference in Brownsville, where he talked about Lopez’s case.
Sandra Treviño, an Austin native, has been an advocate for the Lopez family since she met Lorenzo Lopez, Joe’s brother, last summer in San Antonio.
Treviño did not give up, and when Habern finally relented to her request, he decided to conduct two tests.
Habern sent two polygraphists to interview Lopez. He passed both times.
“The next thing we did was (send) one of the best known sex therapists, Dr. Shelley Graham of Austin, to see him,” Habern said. “She said, ’Well, at best, he’s a very low risk threat offend.’”
Because of his celebrity status, it was deemed unsafe for Lopez to be pu t in general population at the W.F. Ramsey Unit in Rosharon, Texas.
“That man has sat in a cage by himself for 10 years,” Habern said.
The prison allowed Lopez a guitar, and in his time behind bars he has composed 108 songs, Habern said.
Not once has Lopez said he was guilty of the crime. He turned down what Habern called an “exceptional” plea deal and maintained his innocence before the parole board.
For the rest of this story and many other EXTRAS, go to our premium site, www.MyValleyStar.com.
Subscribe to it for only $6.99 per month or purchase a print subscription and receive the online version free, which includes an electronic version of the full newspaper and extra photo galleries, links and other information you can’t find anywhere else.
