Judge clears records of 4 Texas women in sex assault case

SAN ANTONIO – A judge has expunged the criminal records of four Texas women whose sexual assault convictions were overturned on appeal due to faulty expert testimony at their trials.

Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh and Anna Vasquez served nearly 15 years in prison for their 1994 convictions before those were overturned. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2016 exonerated the women who came to be known as the San Antonio 4. But the felony convictions remained on their records until state District Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl ordered them removed Monday.

Ramirez’s nieces, then ages 7 and 9, accused the four of assaulting them during a weekend visit with their aunt. One niece later recanted her testimony, saying family members upset about her aunt being a lesbian had told her to lie.