Wrongful Convictions

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich on Friday dismissed the 1994 murder case against former death row inmate Elwood Jones after a months‑long evidence review, citing no physical or forensic links, alternative‑suspect leads left unexplored, and prior failures to disclose investigatory materials. Jones, freed after a judge granted a new trial in December 2022, is now the 12th death row exoneree in Ohio; Pillich also announced a new Conviction Integrity Unit to review potential wrongful convictions.

Travis County prosecutors in December 2025 moved to begin exonerating four men after the Austin Police Department identified serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers as the likely perpetrator of the 1991 yogurt shop murders through DNA testing in September 2025. Investigators also noted a bullet casing recovered from a drain at the scene is consistent with the gun Brashers used to kill himself in 1999, strengthening the link.