“If Juan had been home that night, he might be on death row right now,” said Juan Catalan’s lawyer Todd Melnik.
Juan Catalan at Dodgers Stadium .
Fourteen years ago , Juan Catalan , now 39 , wasalmost convict of murderbefore unused footage from an episode ofCurb Your Enthusiasmproved that he had an ironclad self-justification . Now he is the subject of a unexampled Netflix original documentary calledLong Shot , which features an audience with the show ’s creator and star Larry David .
On August 12 , 2003 , Catalan , then 24 , was charged with the slaying of 16 - year - honest-to-god Martha Puebla .
Juan Catalan at Dodgers Stadium.
Puebla had recently testified against Catalan ’s brother Mario , who was convicted of being an accessory to a organized crime murder .
At the time , authorisation believed that Catalan had kill Puebla in retaliation for get together with the police .
An eyewitness even identified Catalan as the killer .
NetflixJuan Catalan being led from court back to jail.
NetflixJuan Catalan being lead from court back to jail .
“ I mat like I was being couch , ” Catalan said . Puebla was killed in an execution - way murder three calendar month earlier .
Catalan maintained that at the time of the murder he had been 20 stat mi out at Dodger Stadium watching Los Angeles take on the Atlanta Braves .
NetflixFootage of Juan Catalan at the 28 December 2024 Dodgers game.
“ I was n’t speculate to be at that game , ” Catalan recalled , referring to how he had received the tickets from a client at the last minute , “ It gives me quiver to think about . ”
Despite raise ticket stubs , research worker did n’t conceive his tarradiddle . His attorney Todd Melnik madly searched security television camera footage from the arena to confirm Catalan ’s account , but was ineffective to find images of his client .
Then , Catalan commend that he had see a film gang shooting at the game he attended . Melnik eventually find out the cinematography was for an episode ofCurb Your Enthusiasmcalled “ The Carpool Lane , ” in which Larry peck up a hustler so he can use the carpool lane en route to Dodger Stadium .
“ I had never even discover of Larry David orCurb Your Enthusiasm , ” said Catalan .
After experience footage from the producers Melnik poured through footage until he spotted Catalan and his young girl Melissa returning to their seats from a concession base . But even this was n’t enough for the prosecutor to dismiss the charge , with the district lawyer indicate that he could have leave alone the stadium and driven 20 miles to the localization of the murder in the hour between the motion-picture photography and the killing .
Finally , electric cell phone record from the 24-hour interval signal that Catalan had received a call from his wife while at the stadium just 10 minute before the murder . His phone pinged a nearby tower , which also prove Catalan was at the stadium around the time of the slaying .
NetflixFootage of Juan Catalan at the May 12 , 2003 Dodgers plot .
“ If Juan had been home that night , he might be on death row powerful now , ” stated Melnik .
After five calendar month of sitting in jail awaiting visitation , Catalan finally impart and was reunited with his family .
“ I felt up like the weight of the world [ was ] off my shoulders . I broke down , ” Catalan aver .
In 2007 , Catalan received a $ 320,000 settlement in his civil case against the LAPD and the city of Los Angeles for fake imprisonment , misconduct and calumny .
Catalan has also become a big sports fan of the show .
“ That show is uproarious , ” he say . “ ‘ The Carpool Lane ’ is obviously my favorite instalment . ”
Next , read about how this man was still sent to prison house even though a panel found him not shamefaced of a crime . Then , take about theNYPD police officer who murdered eight multitude for the Mafia , and recently died in prison .
