A convicted killer was back in a Hidalgo County courtroom on Tuesday as he and his family say he’s innocent of the murder he was found guilty of over 20 years ago.

Gustavo Mireles was convicted in 2002 of murdering Mary Jane Rebollar, whose body was found in a burnt vehicle after she was seen with Mireles in Alamo prior to her death, according to court records.

Mireles was back in court as his attorney asked the judge to consider an application that would challenge the legality of his detention.

The defense wants to prove Mireles was wrongfully convicted in Rebollar's murder, and claimed Mireles' fingerprints are not the ones found at the crime scene.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Appeals court considers more DNA testing in 2001 murder case

The judge denied all their requests and said he thought there was not enough evidence to back up the claims the defense presented. 

“It's just a huge fishing expedition,” District Court Judge Juan Ramon Alvarez said.

As previously reported, attorneys for Mireles said the 2002 conviction is being called into question because a 2003 audit on the crime lab found that 300 different cases were mishandled.

A February 2024 mandate issued by the 13th Court of Appeals reversed a previous judgement that denied Mireles’ request for post-conviction DNA testing.

Relatives of Mireles’ were at the Tuesday hearing.

“It's devastating, but we can still appeal it because we have the facts,” Mireles’ sister — Leonor — said.