DALLAS — In Texas, convictions don’t always mean closure. For some, the story continues long after prison walls as they fight to prove their innocence.

The Lone Star State is among the states with the highest number of exonerations. An exoneration is an official finding that a person did not commit a crime.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations , 26 Texans were cleared in 2024 of crimes ranging from drug charges to child abuse and murder. In 2023, that number was 23.

Among the recent: Benjamine Spencer, who spent nearly 34 years behind bars before being released in 2021. It wasn’t until August 2024 that a Dallas County judge formally declared him innocent in the 1987 robbery and murder of a West Dallas executive.

“We can confidently say there is no credible or physical e

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