Clarence Brandley Jr., a Black man from Houston, has been released from prison after nearly three decades behind bars for a crime he has long maintained he did not commit. His release follows a ruling by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which found that key exculpatory evidence had been withheld during his trial—constituting a miscarriage of justice.
Brandley Jr. was convicted in the 1990s of a robbery and murder. His legal team later discovered that prosecutors failed to share documents that raised serious doubts about his guilt, including conflicting witness statements and alternative suspect information. The revelation led to an aggressive legal campaign that ultimately overturned the conviction.
His release echoes the case of his father, Clarence Brandley Sr., who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the 1980s before being exonerated. The Brandley family’s generational ordeal underscores longstanding concerns about racial bias and systemic injustice in Texas’ criminal justice system.
Upon his release, Brandley Jr. stated, “Justice delayed is justice denied, but I’m grateful to finally breathe free air. Now it’s time to fight for those still behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit.”
His story has reignited conversations across Texas about wrongful convictions, prosecutorial accountability, and the need for comprehensive reform in the legal system.
