José Ernesto Medellín
Petitioner
Donald Francis Donovan, Counsel of Record José Medellín was arrested on June 29, 1993, by Houston police on suspicion of having taken part in the gang rape and murder of 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Peña. Medellín confessed and was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Three years later, Medellín challenged his conviction and sentence because he had not been informed of his right, as a Mexican citizen, to contact his country’s consulate. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and a Federal district court ruled against him, however. In 2003, Mexico began proceedings for Medellín and 53…
