Why Juan forgives the police who set him up for murder

The Homicide Detectives on Juan Catalan's case have admitted they set him up to solve the murder. Following the acquittal, they were both reassigned posts within the LAPD but never formally penalised for their conduct. One is still a police officer to this day.

To watch, 'Out of left field' in full, see links below:

What Juan Catalan endured at the hands of the Los Angeles police is no laughing matter, but it’s comedy that saved him. It all started when LAPD detectives accused Juan of a cold-blooded murder he didn’t commit, that resulted with Juan being put on death row. It was an extraordinary denial of justice, but the police were convinced Juan was the killer. In their minds there was no doubt or presumption of innocence. In court, it was up to the suspect to show he did not commit the crime, which meant Juan Catalan had to prove his alibi: that he was one of 58,000 spectators at a major league baseball game on the night of the murder. His legal team set out on the near impossible task of finding a needle in a haystack, and just when it looked like all hope was lost, out of left field appeared his unlikely saviour – the famous Hollywood funnyman who created Seinfeld.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett

Producer: Stefanie Sgroi