Mexican woman released from Texas prison after 18 years - Mexico foreign ministry

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican woman who spent 18 years in prison in the United States for the death of a minor was released on the order of a Texas judge, according to Mexico's foreign ministry, which has said there were "irregularities" in her 2005 trial.

Rosa Estela Jimenez left prison on Wednesday and would stay in the United States to meet the conditions of her release, the ministry said in a statement.

Jimenez was arrested in 2003 and convicted in 2005 after a jury found her guilty in the abuse and death of a minor who was under her care. The jury handed her two sentences of 99 years and 75 years.

The Mexican consulate in Austin contributed to legal fees in the course of her appeal. Consulate officials also attended her hearings and pushed for her case to remain under review, the ministry said.

The New York-based Innocence Project, which helps people who were wrongfully convicted, also worked on her release, the ministry said.

(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; editing by Grant McCool)