Henry Segura is an innocent man serving life in prison for a crime he did not commit: the murder of Brandi Peters and her three children. Henry Segura was the father of one of those children, his three-year-old son JaVonte. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement's (FDLE) DNA experts collected over 200 DNA samples from the crime scene. Henry Segura was excluded as a source of any DNA tested by the FDLE. There is no physical evidence that connects Henry to this crime, and he had no motive to harm his son JaVonte or Brandi Peters. 

It is suspected that Brandi Peters was involved in drug smuggling for the Los Zetas cartel. James Carlos Santos, an incarcerated Los Zetas cartel affiliate, confessed under oath to sending a hit squad to carry out the cartel-style killings on the victim. A large quantity of foreign female DNA was found under Brandi’s fingernails. During the trial, an expert on Gang Violence Tactics testified that Drug Cartels often disarm victims by sending female decoys to the victims’ doors to gain entrance into their homes.  

James Carlos Santos testified that Brandi Peters stole money from the cartel by skimming in connection with drug buys. The cartel apparently threatened her, as she expressed overwhelming fear for her and her children’s lives in the days preceding her death due to the threatening emails and letters she received from Santos. A message on the envelope of the last letter Santos sent Brandi Peters read: “Say what you mean and mean what you say: Dear Mr. Mailman, If this letter happens to get lost, just send it to heaven because it’s going to an angel.” This was a clear reference to her impending murder.

Despite evidence that the murder of Brandi Peters was a cartel-style hit and Henry Segura was not involved, police immediately zeroed in on him.  So why was Henry Segura the main suspect? Oftentimes in wrongful conviction cases, there is immense pressure on law enforcement to solve the case. That is especially so, when the victims are females and/or children. Further, when there is a female victim, police often look to the victim’s significant other as the initial suspect.  Finally, when that significant other is obligated to provide child support and has fallen behind on payments, law enforcement sometimes mistake that as a motive for murder. So Henry Segura quickly became the easiest person to blame. So rather than engage in a comprehensive investigation, as law enforcement are obligated to do, police ignored critical evidence. For instance, they found a clean-up site in a park near the crime scene. The park was only a few blocks from the victim’s home. Multiple pairs of gloves, clothing, and cleaning supplies were discovered. Despite some of these items being covered in hair and blood, Henry Segura was eliminated as a contributor, yet investigators did not seek to find the source of the blood or hair.   

We want the Court to grant Henry’s post-conviction motion to vacate the judgment and order a new trial. 

*PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT OF HENRY SEGURA.