SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales joined a San Antonio man to commemorate the man officially being exonerated.
Melvin Quinney was found guilty of indecency with a child in 1991 after accusations that he sexually abused his children. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was released in 1999 and made to register as a sex offender.
The Innocence Project of Texas says Quinney is a victim of the "Satanic Panic" hysteria of the 1990's. His children, Sarah and John, testified that he was innocent. His case the was the subject of an episode of the podcast, "Conviction."
The Innocence Project of Texas took up his case in 2022 and found, along with DA Gonzales, that the evidence showed Quinney to be innocent. They signed joint proposed findings of the facts and conclusions of the law. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed with the findings and ruled Quinney innocent.
“Today, a mistake made over 30 years ago is officially acknowledged, and an innocent man is officially made free,” said District Attorney Joe Gonzales, “Justice is meaningless if the wrong person is prosecuted. I pledge my continuing efforts to review prior convictions and ensure that every person imprisoned on a Bexar County conviction actually committed the crime of which they were accused.
Monday, the exoneration was finalized and officially entered into the court record. Quinney, his children, DA Gonzales and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Howard will hold a news conference Monday afternoon to commemorate the occasion.
The case was investigated by the Bexar County Conviction Integrity Unit, which regularly works along with the Texas Innocence Project.