Criminal convictions stop people right in their tracks. Whatever they were doing in their life before they were charged with and convicted of a crime gets put on hold. For individuals who are wrongfully convicted, their convictions place their lives on hold as they wait for the day when the truth sets them free.
The criminal justice systems in Texas and elsewhere do not function perfectly. Sometimes, innocent people are not only charged with crimes, but they are also convicted of them. Five years ago, Greg Kelley was convicted of aggravated sexual assault on a child. He went to prison and spent three years behind bars. Recently, prosecutors took another look at his case after Kelley’s defense attorneys brought new evidence and alternate suspects to their attention. This November, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Greg Kelley’s conviction. At a subsequent hearing, District Court Judge Donna King approved the decision to overturn Kelley’s conviction and declared him “fully exonerated.”
Before Greg Kelley’s life path took a sudden and unexpected detour into prison, he was a star athlete with dreams of attending college and playing football. His performance as a defensive back for Leander High School had gotten the attention of multiple colleges, including the University of Texas-San Antonio, Rice, and Texas State. Six years after a wrongful accusation and conviction sidelined his hopes and dreams, Greg Kelley can move forward again. He is engaged and plans to marry his fiance in January. His hopes of attending college are also about to be fulfilled. Recently, he received word that he is accepted to the University of Texas at Austin. Greg Kelley may even get to play college football. He could walk-on for the Longhorns, pending a successful tryout before the start of the upcoming football season.
It’s possible that Greg Kelley will not only be able to move forward with the dreams he had to put on hold but that he will also receive compensation for the years that were taken from him during the time that he was wrongfully incarcerated. If a person who is convicted of a crime in Texas is later declared “actually innocent” in a Texas court order, they may pursue a claim of wrongful incarceration against the State of Texas. That order has been granted for Greg Kelley, and his defense attorney plans to pursue a claim for wrongful incarceration against the State of Texas on his behalf. If the claim is successful, Greg Kelley will be able to attend college without incurring any student loan debt. Compensation under the Texas wrongful incarceration act includes free tuition at any Texas college and additional payments of approximately eighty thousand dollars per year that the individual spent in prison.
Greg Kelley’s story is a hope-filled example of how individuals who are exonerated can regain what they lost when they were convicted, and sometimes gain even more. If you have been convicted of a crime that you did not commit, do not give up on fighting for your freedom. Align yourself with a Texas criminal defense attorney and take a stand against your wrongful conviction. To learn more about how a Texas Criminal Defense Attorney can help you pursue exoneration, call Attorney Alex Tyra today. Call us today, at (903) 753-7499, or fill out a convenient online contact form on our website.