Jury Awards $34 Million to Kirstin Lobato for Wrongful Conviction
A federal jury in Nevada has awarded over $34 million to Kirstin Lobato, who was wrongfully convicted of murder at the age of 18. Lobato, now 41 and known as Blaise, was exonerated after serving nearly 16 years in prison for the 2001 murder of Duran Bailey, a homeless man found dead in Las Vegas. The jury's verdict, delivered in U.S. District Court, concluded that Las Vegas police and two retired detectives fabricated evidence and inflicted emotional distress on Lobato during their investigation.
Lobato expressed her relief and uncertainty about her future, stating, "It’s been an uphill battle with many, many obstacles. And I’m happy that it’s finally over." The jury awarded $34 million in compensatory damages from the police department and $10,000 in punitive damages from each of the former detectives involved in the case.
Background of the Case
In July 2001, Lobato was arrested and charged with Bailey's murder after being questioned by police without legal representation. Despite no physical evidence linking her to the crime, police claimed she confessed to killing Bailey during a drug binge. Lobato was convicted of murder in 2002, but the Nevada Supreme Court overturned her conviction in 2004 due to ineffective legal representation.
After a retrial in 2006, she was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 13 to 45 years in prison. Lobato was finally exonerated in late 2017 when the Innocence Project and local attorneys presented evidence proving she was in Panaca, Nevada, approximately 150 miles from the crime scene, at the time of Bailey's death.
Ongoing Legal Challenges
Following the jury's decision, the attorneys for the former detectives indicated that an appeal is likely. The Las Vegas police department had previously agreed to pay damages contingent on the jury's ruling in Lobato's favor. Additionally, the issuance of a certificate of innocence for Lobato last October has been challenged by Clark County officials, prompting a request for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the certificate's issuance.
