Ben Spencer free after 34 years of declaring innocence in fatal robbery. Dallas prosecutors could try him again
Spencer was sentenced to life in prison after Jeffrey Young was beaten to death in 1987.
Ben Spencer hugs his mother, Lucille Spencer, after he was released from the Dallas County jail in Dallas on Friday, March 12, 2021. He was convicted in the 1987 deadly robbery of Jeffrey Young but has always maintained his innocence. A judge released him on bond Friday after finding he was convicted with false testimony. A higher court must review his case.(Lola Gomez)
It’s been 34 years since Ben Spencer went home to his wife Debra.
A recent DNA test on evidence excluded or exonerated him in the aggravated robbery case, his supporters say, but he remains in prison awaiting a Harris County court date delayed by COVID-19. How is COVID-19 affecting the progress of cases you’ve followed or are working on as advocates?
Casarez
: You’d think you’d want to fast track potential releases especially when there are innocence claims. Sometimes, the state doesn’t seem to care that a person has been exonerated there are still people who think they’re guilty and so they use whatever they can use to keep them in prison. They feel they’re doing a service to society by keeping them locked up.