A Texas man was exonerated on Thursday after spending three decades in prison.
Benjamin Spencer, now 59, was convicted in 1987 for the murder of Jeffrey Young during a carjacking. His conviction was later overturned, but he was then tried again and convicted for the aggravated robbery of Young. He was sentenced to life in prison on the aggravated robbery conviction.
Spencer, who maintains his innocence, spent 34 years in prison before being released on bond in 2021 after the Dallas Country Criminal District Attorney’s Office found that his constitutional rights were violated and he did not receive a fair trial.
On Thursday, a Dallas County judge agreed to dismiss the charges against Spencer.
“It is a good day,” defense attorney Cheryl Wattley said. “I’m trying hard not to cry.”
Wattley said she has worked on Spencer’s case for more than 20 years and that he is trying to live his life in an honorable way and “trying to be an example that others can be inspired by.”
This stock image shows a pair of handcuffs sitting on fingerprint paper. A Texas man was exonerated on Thursday after spending three decades in prison for a 1987 murder.
Daniel Tamas Mehes via Getty Images
Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot said that prosecutors who tried Spencer’s case failed to provide the defense with evidence that would have excluded Spence from the crime, including fingerprints, and that prosecution witnesses gave false testimony.
“This day has been a long time coming. I am relieved and humbled to help correct this injustice,” Creuzot said.
Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Garza said, “Benjamin Spencer is actually innocent. There exists no credible or physical evidence that he was in any way involved in this crime.”
Wattley thanked the district attorney’s office for their help exonerating Spencer.
“It took the district attorney and his commitment to justice to make this happen, after four previous district attorneys failed to take action,” the defense attorney said.
Spencer is among the top 60 people who have served the longest time in prison before being declared innocent of a crime, according to data from the National Registry of Exonerations.
According to Texas law, Spencer is eligible for up to $80,000 per year for each year he spent in prison and an annuity.
Spencer’s ordeal is the subject of a new book by best-selling author and journalist Barbara Bradley Hagerty. The book, Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, a Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice, was released earlier this month.
Hagerty’s chronicle of Spencer’s time in prison was championed by The Innocence Project, a nonprofit legal organization formed in 1992 that helps to exonerate people who have been wrongly convicted, has helped to free 240 innocent people from prison.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
