In the early hours of July 14, 1997, Damond Wittman was fatally shot outside a Dallas nightclub. Wittman, who was with friends in the parking lot, had just given a cigarette to a Hispanic male who then demanded money at gunpoint. In the ensuing struggle, Wittman was shot multiple times, and the shooter fled the scene.

Not far from the crime scene, Dallas Police found a blood-stained Dallas Stars jersey, which matched the description of the assailant’s clothing. Martin Santillan was identified as the shooter by a single witness from a photo line up. Despite having an alibi and no identification by other witnesses, Santillan, then 23, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In 2008, the case caught the attention of Centurion, an innocence organisation, which prompted the Dallas County District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) to revisit the case. Initial DNA tests on the jersey in 2008 and 2014 were inconclusive due to forensic limitations. However, in 2021, advanced DNA testing identified two unknown individuals on the jersey, excluding Santillan as a contributor. This led to new leads and eventually to a suspect, aided by a match from the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

In February 2023, Santillan’s conviction was overturned by the Texas Court of Appeals, and charges were dismissed the following month. “Correcting past wrongs remains a critical part of our job,” stated John Creuzot, Dallas County Criminal District Attorney. By November 2023, another individual was indicted for Wittman’s murder.

This exoneration was supported by funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s post-conviction Testing of DNA Evidence Program, which assists with the costs associated with DNA tests in cases where there might be evidence of innocence. This program ensures that justice is accurately served by confirming convictions or exonerating the wrongfully accused.