Florida Wrongful Arrest; Texas Revenge Killing Sentences

In Harris County, Texas, Florinda Argueta and her son Joe were convicted in the 2021 revenge killing of neighbor Eddie Clark III and sentenced to 25 and 40 years after prosecutors introduced surveillance video and incriminating text messages showing a coordinated plan. Prosecutors said the attack followed repeated vandalism at the Arguetas' home; two other family members remain charged—an uncle is in custody and the father, Luis Argueta, is at large and listed on Houston’s Most Wanted—and authorities are seeking tips. Clark’s family called the sentences fair and prosecutors said they will keep pursuing all responsible parties. In Florida, 29-year-old Samuel Vasquez was wrongfully arrested in a mistaken-identity case tied to a similarly named suspect, extradited from Duval County to Polk County and held roughly two weeks, during which he missed the birth of his daughter, before attorneys secured his release and the charges were dropped. Attorneys blasted the investigation as “sloppy,” citing discrepancies in age, birthdate and physical description and security-camera footage that showed the real suspect, who was later detained and awaits extradition.