Brothers cleared of murder after 25 years in prison

Two brothers have been exonerated of murder after spending 25 years in prison.

David Bintz, 69, and Robert Bintz, 68, were released after new DNA evidence cleared them of the 1987 killing of Sandra Lison, a 44-year-old bartender from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Sandra disappeared after her shift at the Good Times Bar, and her body was later discovered 30 miles away in Machickanee Forest, where she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

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Although the brothers were questioned early on—David had reportedly argued with Sandra over their bill—the case went cold.

In 1998, the investigation resurfaced when a cellmate claimed David had confessed to the murder in his sleep.

Despite no physical evidence directly linking them to the crime, both brothers were convicted of Sandra’s murder in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison. They were also charged with robbing her.

In 2018, the Great North Innocence Project in Minnesota took up their case. Legal director Jim Mayer partnered with the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center at Ramapo College in New Jersey. Last year, DNA from the crime scene was uploaded to genealogy databases like GEDmatch.

Investigators narrowed the matches to three brothers from Green Bay, with the strongest match pointing to William Hendricks, a convicted rapist who died in 2000.

His remains were exhumed in April, and testing revealed a 1 in 329 trillion chance that the crime scene DNA belonged to anyone other than Hendricks.

On September 27, Judge Donald Zuidmulder ordered the release of David and Robert Bintz, stating that the true perpetrator had been identified. In his ruling, the judge remarked, “Today, Sandra Lison will rest in peace because her true murderer is now known.”

Under Wisconsin law, wrongfully convicted individuals are entitled to $5,000 for each year served, up to a maximum of $25,000.

However, the brothers may seek additional compensation through civil suits to reflect the extent of their wrongful imprisonment.

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SOURCE: Brothers exonerated of murder after spending 25 years behind bars