When it was time for the defense to present their case in the State of Texas V. Joe Dale Bryan, for the murder of Mickey Marlene Bryan, attorney Charles McDonald was confident he’d get his client off. Not only did he truly believe in Joe’s innocence, but also, the prosecution simply had no evidence. Certainly nothing scientific. But, did the fact that the state presented what they had as forensic facts influence the jury? With the murder of Judy Whitley earlier in 1985 still unsolved, it seems likely the public was looking to close at least one of the cases. And since Judy’s had no suspect on trial, Mickey’s murder, at the hands of someone statistically more likely to have committed it, might help put the public’s mind at ease should it be closed. But at what cost?

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Sources: innocencetexas.org, The Clifton Record, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The McAllen Monitor, The Austin American-Statesman, The New York Times, The Waco Tribune-Herald, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10172881/, court appeal documents, and 20/20 ABC. 

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