Los Cinco

Los Cinco refers to a group of five Mexican-American men who were prosecuted for murder in Los Angeles, California, in 1976. The case involved the death of Robert McMillian, a man killed during a robbery. The five men – Ricardo Callejo, Frank Barela, Joe Ramirez, Guillermo Rosales, and Carlos Zapata – maintained their innocence, alleging that they were falsely accused and framed due to their ethnicity and involvement in community activism.

The case became a cause célèbre for Chicano rights activists and civil rights groups, who argued that the prosecution was racially motivated and that the evidence against Los Cinco was weak and circumstantial. Supporters pointed to inconsistencies in witness testimonies and the lack of concrete physical evidence linking them to the crime.

The convictions of Los Cinco were eventually overturned in 1978 due to prosecutorial misconduct, specifically the withholding of exculpatory evidence. The men were subsequently released from prison. The case remains a significant example of alleged injustice within the American legal system and continues to be cited in discussions regarding racial profiling and the mistreatment of minority groups. The story of Los Cinco has been documented in books and articles, serving as a reminder of the potential for systemic bias in law enforcement and the courts.