Same Name, Wrong Guy: Francisco Romero Mistakenly Jailed for Murder in Texas
Francisco Daniel Romero released from Texas jail after 9 days behind bars.
March 11, 2011 — -- A Texas man is enjoying his freedom after enduring a case of mistaken identity that landed him in jail for more than a week accused of murder.
On March 1, an Arlington, Texas, police officer stopped a car for the innocuous offence of an expired inspection sticker. Behind the wheel was Francisco Daniel Romero -- born Oct. 4, 1969.
When the officer ran a standard background check, a decade-old murder warrant surfaced.
Only it was for a completely different man.
More than 11 years ago, the Dallas Police Department issued a warrant for the arrest of murder suspect Francisco Javier Ortiz Romero -- also born Oct. 4, 1969.
Even though the arresting officer in Arlington noted the differing middle names in his report, Francisco Daniel Romero was locked up for nine days for the other man's alleged crime.
"He just went to drop off the girls at school and he never come home," his wife, Sandra, tearfully told ABC News affiliate WFAA-TV. "He called me around 10:30 in the morning telling me he has been arrested and he was being accused of murder."
"There was obviously a breakdown somewhere," Arlington Police Department spokeswoman Tiara Richard said.
Arlington Police asked their Dallas counterparts for additional information, such as fingerprints and photographs for the wanted man, but were told there was not any evidence to pass along, Richard said.
So the Arlington Police falsely confirmed the warrant and turned over Francisco Daniel Romero to the Dallas County Jail, despite Romero's continued claim that he wasn't the wanted man.
Romero's attorney, Ramon Rincon, said English is not his client's first language and "at no point did they speak to him in Spanish."
Francisco Daniel Romero moved from Mexico to the United States with his wife in 1995 for his job, Rincon said. He has maintained gainful employment, becoming a lawful permanent resident in 2002.
Romero has "no criminal background, not even a traffic citation" and "lived out the American dream with his wife and daughters," Rincon added.
