degree murder of Jose Diaz, after an incident on  1 August 1942. The film and the play that preceded it conformed to  the facts of the actual case. The appeals court overturned the  earlier verdict and Reyna and his friends were set free in 1945,  following the Zoot Suit Riots and the banning of zoot suits in Los  Angeles (courtesy of the Los Angeles City Council) in 1944. Many  futures and outcomes for Reyna were given in the film and the play.  In real life, Leyvas was convicted some years later for selling  drugs. He served ten years and was released, and soon opened a  family restaurant. He died of a heart attack in 1971.