About 35 years ago, John Galvan was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated arson.
An apartment building in Chicago was the sight of the blaze and the fire claimed two victims.
Their names were Guadalupe and Julio Martinez.
The 1986 apartment fire and the two deaths from it are how John Galvan ended up being arrested. But he didn’t actually do it.
Of course, people started wondering who started the fire.
Though Guadalupe and Julio Martinez died in the fire, their siblings Blanca and Jorge managed to escape.
Upon being questioned, the survivors told police who they think did it. It was a female neighbor of theirs, they said.
According to the two, the neighbor’s motive was revenge as she’d lost her brother recently. Sounds plausible, but she wouldn’t end up being convicted.
The person who did end up being arrested was John Galvan after the neighbor and several others accused him.
But, presumably, the truthful story was what the Martinez siblings had been saying.
They shared more details as well, including more details about the neighbor’s motive.
Those responsible for the death of the neighbor’s brother were a street gang known as Latin Kings.
You would think this much evidence was convincing enough, but the police found the other accusations more convincing. Those leveled at John Galvan.
Several other neighbors accused him, even though Galvan was nowhere near the crime scene when it occurred.
But we all know how flawed our justice system can be.
Galvan was taken and questioned. And though he committed no crime, the pressure and anxiety from the interrogation forced a false confession out of him.
This isn’t unusual.
People who are immensely stressed out and scared can sometimes confess to something they didn’t do.
Galvan was imprisoned for life.
Imagine being him.
For close to 30 years, Galvan stayed behind bars.
Though he wouldn’t have to serve the life sentence thanks to some new evidence from the most unlikely of places.
Galvan was watching Mythbusters when a very serendipitous episode came on.
The Mythbusters episode he watched was relevant to the crime he’d confessed to: using a cigarette to light a Molotov cocktail.
View this post on Instagram
But the episode, “Hollywood on Trial,” focused on myths propagated by the big screen.
Things you might see in action movies, mostly.
One of those things was lighting a Molotov cocktail with a cigarette.
The episode actually proved it wasn’t possible.
This was big. Galvan’s lawyer saw the same episode and knew it had to be brought up in court.
View this post on Instagram
After 35 years, Galvan was exonerated and freed from prison all thanks to a Mythbusters episode.
35 years will take its toll on you, so adjusting to his free life in a strange world has been hard. But at least he’s a free man now.
He’s got a lot of years to make up for, so we wish him all the best!
View this post on Instagram
If there was ever any doubt about the power of educational TV, then this can put those doubts to rest.
Mythbusters was a fantastic show that I miss myself. It was bittersweet to watch it end in 2018 and heartbreaking to hear of Grant Imahara’s sudden passing.
View this post on Instagram
But even today, the show’s legacy is pretty strong. I’m sure Adam, Jamie, Kari, Grant, and Tori would all be proud to have helped this man clear his name.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
