Obel Cruz-Garcia, a 46-year-old Dominican man who did not speak English, sat in a Houston courtroom on a Friday in July 2013. He faced a jury that would decide whether to sentence him to death for the gruesome killing of 6-year-old Angelo Garcia — a crime he has maintained he did not commit. His life, quite literally, depended on the outcome of the case.
![A man with his hand pressed up against glass window. Photo via BRANDON THIBODEAUX FOR HUFFPOST](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image/public/articles/2023-03/screenshot-2023-03-13-94741-am.png?itok=QmHYfweI)