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In 1965 Antonio Rivera and Merla Walpole were unable to support their seriously ill three-year-old daughter, Judy Rivera, and abandoned her at a distant San Francisco gas station in the hope that she would receive better care. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the finding of the little girl the next day. In 1973, the body of a little girl was found near San Bernardino, and authorities concluded it was Judy Rivera. At trial, a jury did not believe the parents' story and both were convicted of murder. Before sentencing, the judge set aside the verdict and directed the prosecution to investigate the parents' claim. An investigator located the girl mentioned in the newspaper story and after tests were performed, authorities were satisfied that the girl was in all likelihood Judy Rivera.
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