An innocent man was saved from the death penalty after a popular US TV show broadcast actual evidence of his alibi.
After being accused of a murder he did not commit, Juan Catalan pretty much owes his life to an American sitcom.
Curb Your Enthusiasm is the show that saved his life, starring comedian and actor Larry David.
It follows the story of David as a TV writer and producer, who gets into various misadventures with his celebrity friends around Los Angeles.
Advert
But it was season 4, episode 6, 'The Car Pool Lane', that turned out to be of great significance.
On 12 May 2003, the Los Angeles Dodgers played the Atlanta Braves - the same day that Curb Your Enthusiasm shot that famous episode, but also the same day that a woman called Martha Puebla was tragically murdered in California.
The week prior to her death, she had testified against a gang in a murder trial, which happened to involve Juan's brother, Mario Catalan.
Advert
So of course, when Puebla gets murdered the week following, Juan has an obvious motive for committing the crime.
However, he claimed to be at the Dodgers game when the crime took place, 20 miles away from where Puebla was killed.
Juan testified that he went to the game along with his six-year-old daughter, his cousin, and his friend Ruben.
He presented his tickets as an alibi in court, but this wasn't enough to prove where he was.
Advert
Juan and his legal team were up against a prosecutor that had a 100 percent conviction rate, and she wasn't about to let it slip for this case.
The tickets themselves were not proof of his whereabouts, as Juan could have easily purchased them and not attended.
So he really needed some evidence of himself with his family, at the game.
Advert
This is when he remembered seeing 'Super Dave Osborne', who played Larry Funkhouser on Curb Your Enthusiasm, at the game.
As he was facing the death penalty, his team were really clutching at any straw to find evidence of his whereabouts.
Juan's lawyer, Todd Melnik, immediately got in touch with the media department to find out who was filming on the day of the Dodgers game.
After confirming that it was in fact HBO, Melnik was able to get a meeting with Larry David, and was shown their footage from the match.
Advert
And sure enough, Juan was seen on camera with his daughter at the snack stand.
This footage, coupled with his phone pinging at a tower near the Dodger Stadium at 10:12 PM - 31 minutes before Puebla's death, cleared him of her murder.
After being proved innocent, Juan was released from jail, having spent six months inside, and was given a $320,000 settlement.
Justice was also served for Puebla, as the FBI were able to find the four men who were responsible for her death.
Topics: US News, TV And Film, Crime
Mia Williams