Megan Baca, Interim Director of the California Innocence Project at California Western School of Law, Aids in Exonerations

SAN DIEGO (March 13, 2024) -- California Western School of Law (CWSL) is pleased to announce that last month the California Innocence Project’s Interim Director, Megan D. Baca, and her team at California Innocence Advocates (Cal-IA), were instrumental in securing the exoneration of two wrongfully convicted men in Los Angeles. On February 28, 2024, LA District Attorney George Gascón announced the exonerations and release of Jofama Coleman and Abel Soto, each of whom spent two decades in prison for murders they did not commit.

During the DA’s press conference, Ellen Eggers, the lead attorney for Mr. Coleman and Mr. Soto, acknowledged the essential contributions to the case of Megan D. Baca, director of Cal-IA, and Jessica Jacobs, Education Coordinator & Board Member of Cal-IA, who “gave [Ms. Eggers] such a great head start.” Mr. Coleman expressed his “deepest gratitude to… the California Innocence Advocates and Jessica Jacobs.”  Since his release, Mr. Coleman has been working as an intern with Cal-IA and hopes to become a lawyer so he can help to free innocent people like himself. 

A CWSL student, who is currently serving as a law clerk with Cal-IA, was in attendance at the press conference and had the opportunity to meet District Attorney Gascón. We are proud to continue our collaboration with Cal-IA, giving CWSL students life-changing experiences in helping to free the innocent.