Staunch Criminal Justice Advocate, Tenacious Fighter, Trauma Informed Educator: An Update with Sarah Cintron, Mother of Juan Cabrera. "I'm Not Going to Give Up Until My Son is Free". An Error-filled Case of Corruption that has Her Son Wrongly Convicted.

Happy New Year! 

Welcome back for the kickoff of Season 7 episode 1 of Light ‘Em Up.

In this debut episode:

We welcome back to the witness stand a dear friend of the show.

Sarah Cintron. Sarah is the mother of Juan Cabrera.  We were honored to sit and interview her on March 30th of 2024 as we shined the antiseptic light of the truth on a 2019 murder case out of the State of Michigan.  That case was, The People v Cabrera (Juan Cabrera, her first born son).

Our first episode that we shared together is entitled:

“My Son Was Judged to be Guilty Before He Ever Stepped One Foot in the Courtroom”: Life Lessons, Revelations & Preventative Awareness from the mother of a Son Convicted of 1st Degree Pre-meditated Murder.

You can find that episode here:

 https://www.buzzsprout.com/823981/episodes/14787590-my-son-was-judged-to-be-guilty-before-he-ever-stepped-one-foot-in-the-courtroom-life-lessons-revelations-preventative-awareness-from-the-mother-of-a-son-convicted-of-1st-degree-pre-meditated-murder.mp3?download=true

Juan was convicted of premeditated intentional murder at the age of 18 by a jury that only took 120 minutes to decide on a charge that mandated him by statute to serve Life in Prison Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) — for a murder where the actual “video evidence” in the case did not in any way, shape or form show the face, clothing, nor any single, solitary identifying physical characteristic of the shooter.

How does a jury reach a unanimous decision of “beyond a reasonable doubt with “evidence” such as this? This case cries out for a fair and unbiased look at it — something that has not happened to date.

Seven years her son has been behind bars for a crime he and his mom maintain he did not commit.   Seven long, difficult years.

Since day one Sarah has become an advocate for her son.  She has worked hard to educate herself regarding the brokenness of the criminal justice system and specifically the egregious errors in her son’s case.

The criminal justice system's "brokenness" stems from deep-seated issues like mass incarceration, extreme racial disparities (disproportionately affecting Black and Brown communities), forcing innocent people into plea deals, and a cycle of poverty/re-offense for non-violent offenders.

Inefficiencies arise from slow processes, lack of data uniformity, and outdated technology, leading to high costs, lost public trust, and poor public safety outcomes.

Up to her last breath on this earth, she has vowed to continue to advocate for her son’s innocence and for those who find themselves buried, battered and overwhelmed in, by and among a corrupt system.

Using her voice and her social media platforms, she is educating and empowering those who find themselves in a similar situation.

She works tirelessly demanding reform to address systemic bias, harsh sentencing, and unequal accountability.

Just after midnight on February 16, 2019, a group of teens gathered at a hotel to celebrate the belated birthday of a mutual friend.

Two of the party attendees have a verbal altercation in the hallway right outside of the room.  A fight ensued.  All hell breaks loose, and lives are changed forever.

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