In a reversal of a high-profile case, Galveston County prosecutors have dropped charges against a man accused of engaging in so-called "revenge porn," after a crucial mix-up in evidence came to light. Andres Villagomez, 28, found himself embroiled in legal turmoil for approximately six years following allegations of cyberbullying which purportedly led to his ex-girlfriend's suicide in 2016.
The charges hinged on four nude photos Villagomez was accused of sending to a co-worker, but as the Houston Chronicle reported, authorities discovered only one photo on his phone that matched the description provided by the coworker. Compounding the situation, the investigation revealed the photo was not of his ex-girlfriend, Brandy Vela, as previously thought. According to Villagomez's attorney, Susan Criss, "They were running on emotion," indicating a hasty pursuit for justice in the wake of the tragedy.
Prosecutors initially alleged that Villagomez and his girlfriend Karinthya Romero bullied and stalked Vela, leading to a grand jury indictment against Villagomez for publishing intimate visual material, a new charge at the time. The Galveston News detailed that the court had to postpone Villagomez's trial repeatedly while attorneys navigated the complexities of the law and sorted out overlapping facts with Romero's case.
"There's no evidence that my client had any involvement or knew anything about the cyberbullying and stalking," Criss argued, noting that the prosecution's case had been primarily built around the single image mistakenly identified as Vela. First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Petroff acknowledged their error in a statement obtained by the Galveston News, "After consulting with the family of Brandy Vela and reviewing other evidence, the district attorney's office determined that the image did not, in fact, depict Brandy Vela." With no legal grounds to proceed, the charge was dismissed, as per The Galveston News.
While the case against Villagomez has collapsed under the weight of misidentification, co-accused Karinthya Sanchez Romero still faces charges of cyberbullying and stalking, as per Galveston County court records.
