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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder and Conspiracy |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
6 |
Year Crime: |
2004 |
Year Convicted: |
2008 |
Year Cleared: |
2013 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Texas |
County or Region of Crime: |
San Jacinto |
City of Crime: |
Coldspring |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Megan Winfrey, aka Megan Winfrey Hammond, aka Megan Winfrey Holt, was wrongly convicted in 2008 of capital murder and conspriacy to commit capital murder in the death of Murray Wayne Burr in August 2004 in his home in Coldspring, Texas. Megan Winfrey was the daughter of her co-defendant father, Richard Winfrey Sr., who was only convicted of capital murder, and acquitted of conspiracy. Megan was sentenced to life in prison and her father Richard was sentenced to 75 years in prison. A third codefendant, Megan's brother, Richard Winfrey Jr., was acquitted of both charges. The jury convicted Megan and Winfrey Sr. even though DNA testing of crime scene evidence was negative for the presence of their DNA, and there was no physical, forensic, eyewitness, or confession evidence linking them to the crime. Their prosecution was based on a scent dog picking them out of a lineup in 2007, three years after the murder. The dogs sniffed clothing worn by Burr at the time of his murder, and then picked the codefendants out of lineups. The convictions of both Winfrey Sr. and Megan were affirmed on direct appeal by the court of appeals. The Court of Criminal Appeals accepted discretionary review of both Winfrey Sr.'s and Megan's convictions. Richard Winfrey's conviction was vacated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on September 22, 2010 based on insufficient evidence and his acquittal was ordered. The court ruled that dog sniffing evidence isn't reliable and "...it is insufficient to establish a person's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt." On February 27, 2013 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed Megan Winfrey's conviction on the basis of insufficient evidence of her guilt and ordered her acquittal. " |
Conviction Caused By: |
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Innocence Proved By: |
"On February 27, 2013 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed Megan Winfrey's conviction on the basis of insufficient evidence of her guilt and ordered her acquittal." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
19 |
Age When Released: |
25 |
Sex: |
Female |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"Winfrey v. State, 393 SW 3d 763 (TX Ct of Criminal Appeals, 2-27-2013) (Reversing conviction based on insufficient evidence of guilt and ordering acquittal.)" |
Information Location 1: |
"http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17419166313845668090&q=Megan+Winfrey+2013&hl=en&as_sdt=2,48" |
Information Source 2: |
"Missing Pieces: Murder conviction overturned, By Grace White (Reporter), KHOU.com, May 13, 2017" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.khou.com/news/local/missing-pieces-murder-conviction-overturned/439398818 |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org