Search
June 13, 2025
Facebook Instagram X-twitter Youtube
Logo, The Texas Insider
  • Home
  • Regions
    • Central Region
    • East Region
    • Gulf Coast Region
    • National
    • North Region
    • Panhandle Region
    • Rio Grande Region
    • West Region
    • World
  • Business
  • Insider Reports
  • Health & Fitness
  • Lifestyle
    • Culture
    • Texas Family Values
  • Politics
    • Texas Border Crisis
    • Texas Primaries
  • Events
  • Opinion
  • Shows
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • Games
  • Home
  • Regions
    • Central Region
    • East Region
    • Gulf Coast Region
    • National
    • North Region
    • Panhandle Region
    • Rio Grande Region
    • West Region
    • World
  • Business
  • Insider Reports
  • Health & Fitness
  • Lifestyle
    • Culture
    • Texas Family Values
  • Politics
    • Texas Border Crisis
    • Texas Primaries
  • Events
  • Opinion
  • Shows
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • Games

Texas Man Is Exonerated After Spending Nearly 34 Years in Prison for Wrongful Conviction

By KEN MILLER Associated Press

AP News by AP News
August 30, 2024
in Public Safety, North Region
0
Texas Man Is Exonerated After Spending Nearly 34 Years in Prison for Wrongful Conviction

Image by Joseph Fulgham from Pixabay

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A wrongfully convicted Texas man who spent 34 years in prison for a killing in the 1980s was exonerated Thursday, saying that while he couldn’t get those years back, he was happy and moving forward.

“I’m just excited that this day has finally come,” said Benjamin Spencer, 59.

A Dallas County judge granted a motion by the district attorney’s office to dismiss an aggravated robbery charge against Spencer, who was initially convicted of murder in 1987 in the carjacking and death of Jeffrey Young.

“It is a good day,” said defense attorney Cheryl Wattley, who has worked on Spencer’s case for more than 20 years. “I’m trying hard not to cry.”

Wattley praised Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot for taking a serious look at the evidence that was discredited in the case.

Creuzot said he was “relieved and humbled to help correct this injustice.”

Prosecution witnesses, including a jailhouse informant seeking leniency, gave false testimony, Creuzot said. He added that prosecutors at the time also failed to provide the defense with evidence that would have excluded Spencer from the crime, including fingerprints.

Spencer, who maintained his innocence, saw the 1987 conviction later overturned. But he was then tried again, and convicted, and sentenced to life in prison for aggravated robbery of Young.

He was released on bond in 2021 after the district attorney’s office found his constitutional rights were violated and he did not receive a fair trial due to the false witness testimony and withholding of evidence.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned his conviction earlier this year, sending the case back to Dallas County.

Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Garza, who leads the office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, said: “There exists no credible or physical evidence that he was in any way involved in this crime.”

Spencer is one of the 60 longest-serving people to be declared innocent, according to data kept by The National Registry of Exonerations.

Under Texas law, he is eligible for a lump sum payment of up to $80,000 for each year he was incarcerated and an annuity, Wattley said.

Wattley said Spencer is trying to live his life honorably and “trying to be an example that others can be inspired by.”

Tags: 34 yearsaggravated robberydallasexoneratedprisonwrongful conviction
AP News

AP News

AP News Service

Related Posts

Summer BBQ Season Brings Food Safety Warnings from Dallas County Health Officials
Health & Fitness

Summer BBQ Season Brings Food Safety Warnings from Dallas County Health Officials

June 11, 2025
Former Texas State Trooper Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Sexual Abuse
Public Safety

Former Texas State Trooper Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Sexual Abuse

June 5, 2025
North TX Nonprofit Awarded Pegasus Prize for Tackling Youth Fatherlessness
Public Safety

Hope Still Alive: One Year After Stefanie Damron Disappears, FBI Reaffirms Its Mission on National Missing Children’s Day

May 23, 2025

Latest

  • DART Approves Framework to Share Sales Tax with Local Cities for Development Projects June 12, 2025
  • STAP Specialist Contracts to End August 31, 2025: Certification Process to Shift to Community-Based Providers June 12, 2025
  • Celebrate National Sewing Machine Day with Texas’ Top Summer Camps June 12, 2025
  • Texas to Issue Metal Plates at the Dealership Starting July 1 June 12, 2025
  • Dive Into History and Sharks at the Freeport Historical Museum This Summer June 11, 2025

Trending Now

  • Texas Dad Advocates for Legal Changes to the Family Court System

    Texas Dad Advocates for Legal Changes to the Family Court System

    245 shares
    Share 98 Tweet 61
  • E4 Texas RoundUP: Exclusive Interview: Rob Scott, IT Attorney & Chief Innovator at Monjur

    230 shares
    Share 92 Tweet 58
  • “Memo to Texas Moms: Be the ‘Flashlight’ that protects your children in our world”

    153 shares
    Share 61 Tweet 38
  • Texas Warrior Moms: Perla Muñoz Hopkins

    152 shares
    Share 61 Tweet 38
  • E41. Texas RoundUP: Interview With Jim Camp Jr., Owner And Coach At Camp Negotiations

    130 shares
    Share 52 Tweet 33
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact

© 2024 All rights Reserved. The Texas Insider.
The Texas Insider is a part of Epoch Media Group.

Facebook Instagram X-twitter Youtube