City of El Paso reaches $8 million settlement for Daniel Villegas lawsuit
Gabrielle Lopez
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Monday, the City of El Paso said it reached an $8 million settlement agreement with Daniel Villegas to resolve a federal civil lawsuit against the city alleging violations of constitutional rights.
The 2015 lawsuit alleged violations of constitutional rights from the investigation, arrest and prosecution of Villegas tied to the 1993 murders of Armando “Mando” Lazzo and Robert “Bobby” England.
Villegas said he was forced to confess to the murders when he was 16 years old.
Villegas was convicted in 1995 received a life sentence. He served 20 years in prison and the convicted overturned in 2013. He was later acquitted in 2018.
In 2025, a judge granted summary judgment dismissing charges of malicious prosecution, false arrest, failure-to-intervene and conspiracy claims against all defendants in the case, the city said.
Now, the city said both parties agreed to mediate to see whether the case could be resolved before going to trial.
The city said through mediation, it eliminated the uncertainty of a jury trial, the risk to a much larger judgment and costs and delays associated with continued litigation.
Villegas sought $20 million in damages, and the case involved events that are more than 30 years old. The city said that caused significant challenges associated with witness availability and the passage of time.
“After carefully evaluating the risks, costs and uncertainties associated with continued litigation, the City determined resolving this matter through mediation was in the best interests of the City and its taxpayers,” said Karla Nieman, City Attorney for the City of El Paso.
In a news release, the city said the settlement isn’t an “admission of liability or wrongdoing by the City of El Paso.”
“This resolution is consistent with the City’s ongoing commitment to responsibly manage taxpayer resources while resolving legal disputes in a manner that best serves the public interest,” it said.
The city said had it not been for mediation, some of Villegas’ pending claims would have been resolved through a jury trial selected in August.